ADDICTION AGENCIES WELCOME GOV'T'S $8M CASH INJECTION

(CP) People who work with drug addicts welcomed the B.C. government's
decision to inject another $8 million a year into addiction services
for youth, including $2 million aimed at the growing problem of crystal meth.

But the Opposition, while pleased with the extra funding, criticized
the Liberals for taking a crisis-management approach.

"Alberta has just over 1,000 beds and we have 25 per cent more
population base than Alberta," said NDP Leader Carole James. "It
shows the government's playing catchup. Like many things with this
government, they seem to react when there's a crisis instead of
actually planning."

Health Minister George Abbott said the money will be divided among
the regional health authorities, with the largest chunks going to the
Vancouver and Fraser Valley health regions.

Most of the funds will go to bolster services for all kinds of
addictions, from alcohol to crack cocaine and heroin. But the
government is singling out crystal meth as a serious problem,
especially among young people.

The drug, mostly cooked up in clandestine labs using over-the-counter
cold medications and toxic chemicals, is cheap and provides a
long-lasting buzz that makes it a party drug.

The money will be used to help intervene with occasional users,
provide additional detox beds, provide support for addicts' families
and research into the overall crystal-meth problem.

Abbott said the number of treatment beds available for young addicts
will rise to about 158 beds provincewide from the current 106 out of
1,038 treatment beds overall. "That does make a considerable
difference," he said.