SCHOOL KIDS DOING METH

Editor:

Re: Councillor says teens picked on in meth debate, TIMES, March 3, 2006

"Meth addicts aren't roaming schoolyards or feeding their habits
between classes," said Tolchard. "Those numbers do not bear out."

I am very concerned and disappointed that this statement has seen
print; you have taken comments that are at best anecdotal and applied
them to a serious problem with out any verification of fact.

Tolchard's message is counter to the facts.

The message is irresponsible.

I blame The TIMES for deflating what has the makings for a social
epidemic while not pressing for more sources on the subject.

Recent statistics on drug use in high schools would support this
expressed concern.

The following excerpts are taken from a study conducted by the
International Centre for Urban Research Studies, University College of
the Fraser Valley, dated September, 2005 - Clandestine Drug Labs In
British Columbia.

The Institute for Safe Schools for British Columbia survey of 13,176
high school students from three separate school districts in the
province suggests that at least eight per cent of high school students
used crystal meth during the 2004/05 school year (Waterhouse and Dow,
2005).

Further, almost all of these students report having used the drug on
school property during the school year, and virtually half of them
report using on school property more than once per week (Waterhouse
and Dow, 2005).

As well, to this eight per cent figure should be added some unknown
percentage of high school students who have used ecstasy in the last
year without knowing that it was likely adulterated with
methamphetamine.

In any case, the level of admitted use among high school students in
British Columbia as suggested through the Institute for Safe Schools
Survey for B.C. would appear to be even higher than is the case among
high school students elsewhere in Canada (see for example the report
of Nordeste, 2004).

Len Garis

Pitt Meadows