WEST SHORE TASK FORCE TACKLING CRYSTAL METH

The grim statistics are as startling as the graphic images that
result from crystal meth use.

At a forum sponsored by the Crystal Meth Victoria Society at the
Isabelle Reader Theatre Tuesday, West Shore RCMP Const. Kerry Howse
reinforced the growing concern, describing crystal meth as the
biggest problem facing youth.

"If it takes hold, it will be a tremendous problem," Howse said.

Statistics show 46 per cent of first-time users become addicted. That
climbs to 96 per cent after only two uses.

The community has a responsibility to deal with the problem
immediately because statistics indicate that eight per cent of kids
have tried meth, and four per cent use it regularly, said Glenlake
Elementary principal Daphne Churchill.

"Kids in Grades 6, 7 and 8 know who's using it and where to get it,"
said Churchill, a member of the Crystal Meth Victoria Society's task
force for the Sooke School District .

The fact that a $10 hit of meth can keep a user high for up to 18
hours makes it more attractive to young people, because it's so much
cheaper than other drugs like crack and cocaine, Howse said.

The users, mostly teenagers, in the 20-minute video Death by Jib bore
that out, describing how the drug quickly consumed their lives.

One 17-year-old who started smoking meth when he was 12 said the drug
totally disconnected him from family, friends and anything he had
previously valued, while robbing him of five years childhood.

Closeups of arms and legs covered in weeping scabs, users shooting
meth into open sores, and before and after images of addicts
chillingly reinforced the accompanying words.

Open sores are how the toxic mix of chemicals used to manufacture
meth - phosphorous, battery fluid, drain cleaner, paint thinner,
kerosene, starter fluid, acetone, iodine, lye and methanol - leech
out of the body, Howse said.

Delusions, paranoid behaviour and uncontrolled fits of rage that
accompany meth use pose an additional challenge for police.

"It's pretty scary for us dealing with them," Howse said, pointing
out that the increased level of force needed is not good for either party.

Former addict Martin Cockerill described in detail the drug's highly
addictive nature. After trying the drug once, he quickly reached a
point where he couldn't get out of bed without using.

"I'd smoke in the morning, at work, all day long," said Cockerill, in
recovery and clean for eight months. "When I got to the end of the
bag, nothing else mattered except getting more."

He spoke about the downward spiral, about not seeing his family any
more for dinner, not paying bills.

"Nothing else matters. Before long I didn't matter," he said.

Fielding questions from the audience, Cockerill frankly admitted he
still has days where he misses "the chase," going out to score meth
with friends and getting together to smoke it.

He spoke candidly about the damage done, things he sold that can
never be replaced, and how random drug testing at work helps him keep in line.

Crystal Meth Victoria Society president Mark Mark McLaughlin
explained how he was moved to form the society after one of his kids
fell victim to the drug.

Not knowing much about meth, McLaughlin and his wife involved
themselves in research and formulating a plan to take the message of
the drug's dangers to local school districts.

Getting education into schools to stop the flow of customers is a key
element in trying to avert the rising tide of kids using meth, McLaughlin said.

"It's your turn to take the torch and find resolution," he said.

The society aims to combat the problem through youth education,
public awareness, enforcement and rehabilitation said Mclaughlin, who
urged those in attendance to volunteer to help.

The society approached the Sooke School District earlier in the fall
about forming a task force similar to one launched in School District
61, said Ron Warder, Sooke School District director of instruction.

"The information night is one of the outcomes of that," Warder said.

The school board believes it is not just a school issue, and would
like to get parents and community organizations involved, he added.

"We agree that it's a serious issue that will take the entire
community to address," Warder said.

The Crystal Meth Victoria Society recently received a $20,000 grant
from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, which it plans to
use to expand public awareness and incorporate more resources for
crystal meth addicts and their families.

For more information on the volunteer-run society or to make a
donation, go to www.crystalmethbc.ca.