'CHEAP POLITICAL SHOT' NO SOLUTION TO METH PROBLEM, SAYS LES

B.C. New Democrats say Solicitor General John Les's "tough talk" for
the new Conservative government on battling the crystal meth problem
rings hollow when compared to the provincial government's
underfunding of solutions here.

"This deadly epidemic is devastating families in British Columbia,"
NDP public safety critic Jagrup Brar says in a news release. "I am
calling on the Campbell Liberals and the Solicitor General to stop
talking tough, and take action to properly address the deadly drug,
and break the addiction cycle.

"Mr. Les cannot simply pass the buck to the Conservative government
in Ottawa, he must take ownership," Brar says.

Les says that he's "encouraged" the NDP MLAs have finally noticed
there is a crystal meth problem, since they have yet to raise the
issue in the legislature or attend any of the community forums on
crystal meth abuse sponsored by his ministry.

"If they're as interested as they claim to be, why aren't they
engaged in the issue," he says.

NDP Mental Health critic Charlie Wyse says in the release that B.C.
"lacks treatment beds for those kicking the habit" and that detox
programs need more funding.

"While other provinces lead Canada in treatment and prevention, B.C.
continues to lag behind despite the fact that the crystal meth
epidemic is largest here," he says.

But Les says Premier Gordon Campbell has put the province "at the
forefront" of the fight against crystal meth, equalled only by Saskatchewan.

The province has committed $2-million toward stemming crystal meth
abuse with a series of community forums and other measures aimed at
education and prevention, and created a special secretariat charged
solely with focusing on crystal meth, he says.

"We're the only province that has a crystal meth secretariat to focus
on this issue," he says.

Les also adds that "grassroots" community-driven treatment solutions
in "residential settings" may work better than simply paying for more
detox beds in a clinical setting, because withdrawal from crystal
meth is "different" than heroin and cocaine.

"We all need to put our shoulder to the wheel, and some cheap
political shot from the NDP hasn't got anybody off crystal meth," he says.