CITY WORKS TO KEEP CRYSTAL METH AT BAY

Crystal meth hasn't invaded the Royal City in a big way - and that's
how officials want it to stay.

New Westminster city council has approved a recommendation to host a
community forum to discuss the creation of a crystal meth task force.
The city will also pursue funding from the Union of B.C.
Municipalities to further the priorities and action plans developed by
the task force.

"In New Westminster we have found crack cocaine seems to be the big
street level drug, apart from cannabis," said Insp. Dave Jones of the
New Westminster Police Service. "What we are looking for is ... a
preventative measure and try to keep it out."

Jones said crystal meth is a concern because of its cheap price, its
long-term effects, such as robbery and violence, and the fact that it
targets older teens and young adults.

"We do not experience a lot of meth in this community at this time,"
he told city council on Jan. 16. "We'd like to keep it that way."

Coun. Bob Osterman questioned whether the task force should be
specifically geared to crystal meth or if it should be aimed at
illegal drugs.

"Crystal meth is such an odious drug. It is so damaging," said Coun.
Lorrie Williams, who had proposed setting up a task force. "I would
like to keep it out."

Williams believes it's important to get people from various
backgrounds to the same table, including Fraser Health Authority,
school district, merchants and the city. They can continue the work
started by former MLA Joyce Murray, who organized a forum on the issue
in November 2004.

At the 2005 Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, Premier Gordon
Campbell announced that $2 million would be available to communities
to combat methamphetamine use. UBCM is administering the funding,
providing up to $10,000 in seed grants to communities to start Meth
Watch organizations, create resource inventories, provide meth
awareness training for parents and teachers, build community response
and encourage collaborative solutions to crystal meth use and
production at the community level.

According to a report by the methamphetamine task group of Fraser
Health Addiction Services, meth continues to be a problematic drug
with significant negative consequences for a percentage of the
population who use it. In the past two years, among those who attended
addictions services across the health region, the percentage of meth
drug users has not increased but remained stable.

A staff report to council stated that meth use is low in the general
population but youth and the gay community are at risk.

"Their study found that in Fraser Health, among those seeking
addiction services, for adults, meth was the fourth drug of choice
behind alcohol, cannabis and cocaine," said a staff report to council.
"For youth, meth is the third drug of choice, behind cannabis and
alcohol for both 2003/04 and 2004/05."

According to the report, the number of youth who stated they are
multiple drug users in 2003/2004 was 52 per cent. That rose to 69 per
cent in 2004/05.

"In 2003/2004, approximately 30 per cent of youth accessing addiction
services stated that meth was one of the drugs they had used or were
currently using. In 2004/2005, the percentage had increased minimally,
to 31 per cent of youth accessing addiction services," said the
report. "In Fraser Health, the average age that youth begin to use
meth is between 14 to 15 years of age."

Coun. Betty McIntosh, a nurse in the emergency department at Royal
Columbian Hospital, said people coming into hospital because of drug
use may be under the influence of more than one drug. Hospital staff
have witnessed people under the influence of crystal meth.

"We are seeing it - I don't believe it is statistically marked down,"
she said.

McIntosh explained that a person coming into the hospital with cardiac
symptoms would likely be considered a cardiac case, even if the heart
condition was caused by drugs.