METH WATCH PROGRAM AIMED AT PRODUCTION

Curbing production of crystal meth is the goal of a new program being
unveiled in the Cowichan Valley this week.

Community Policing volunteers begin rolling out Meth Watch on
Tuesday, a voluntary program that helps retailers prevent suspicious
purchases and the theft of the ingredients used to manufacture crystal meth.

Meth Watch will be introduced in stores ranging from pharmacies to
feed and hardware stores and gas stations. Meth is a highly toxic
cocktail of ingredients including: ephedrine, which is found in cold
medications; iodine; fertilizer and brake fluid.

Meth Watch takes aim at people buying unusually large quantities of
products that are used to make crystal meth without restricting
legitimate purchases. Part of the program focuses on reducing theft
of meth ingredients.

"We don't want to lose the momentum and interest shown at the meth
forum," said Carol-Ann Rolls of Community Policing. "Now is the time
to get involved."

Volunteers will begin visiting between 60 and 70 businesses on
Tuesday, distributing information packages, signs and giving
businesses tips to train their staff to recognize suspicious sales.

The program is designed to be easy, quick and free for businesses to
participate in, said Const. Darren Lagan of the North Cowichan/ Duncan RCMP.

"This requires very little of businesses but can have a large benefit
for the community," he said.

But Meth Watch may not ultimately impact the amount of meth available
as much as organizers hope.

While thefts and large purchases of the ingredients for meth from
stores is seen as a major source of the drug in the United States,
the Canadian trend is different, said Solicitor-General John Les in a
January interview.

"In B.C. we don't have much indication of that at all. Here it seems
the precursors are being brought in in bulk form from offshore," said Les.

"In any given year in Canada 100,000 kilograms of ephedrine are
brought into the country. Only about 30 per cent of that is required
for legitimate purposes."

He's calling on the federal government to tighten regulations around
the importing of ephedrine.

"They need to step up more forcefully to help us stem that tide," said Les.

While programs like Meth Watch may ultimately have only a small
effect on that tide, Les applauds the role they play in making
communities aware of the meth problem. "Public awareness is crucial
to winning this battle," he said.

Getting the community involved in the fight against meth is exactly
what Rolls hopes to accomplish with Meth Watch.

"We want the community to be aware. We don't want meth to become as
large a problem in our community as it is in other communities," she said.

Anyone interested in more information can call the Community Policing
office at 701-9146.