METH PRODUCERS TARGETED

Campaigns Aim To Limit Sales Of Chemicals

It may get harder for dealers to manufacture a deadly street drug, as
Surrey's methamphetamine task force approaches retailers about
potentially dangerous products on their shelves.

In the next month, task force chair Bruce Hayne will be working with
others to educate retailers about "reactants" and "precursor drugs"
used to make crystal methamphetamine.

The precursors, including ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, are commonly
found in cold and allergy medicines and can be used to make
methamphetamine, an increasingly popular, highly addictive street drug.

A recent study indicated eight per cent of Surrey high school
students have tried the drug and four to five per cent of them
continue to use it, Hayne said.

The "reactants" used to make it, such as red phosphorus and iodine,
are also commonly available in most stores.

The task force is hoping local stores will voluntarily limit
availability of reactants.

That could be achieved by discontinuing their sale or selling only
over the counter, thereby having some control of who buys.

The initiative comes as the National Association of Pharmacy
Regulatory Authorities moves to limit the sale of cold and allergy
medicines to pharmacies only.

Enforcing that change however is up to the B.C. College of
Pharmacists, and college registrar Marshall Moleschi said Wednesday
his group isn't prepared to restrict the sale of the drugs just yet,
as it appears they aren't being widely used to make meth.

Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis, also a member of the meth task force, agrees.

"The intelligence I received from the drug lab specialists here in
British Columbia indicates that... the key products are generally not
of the pharmaceutical grade... the majority of it appears to be
coming from offshore," Garis said Wednesday, adding most ingredients
are coming from Mexico, Europe and China.

However the reactants, such as camp fuel, are purchased from retail
outlets locally.

Next week, a strategy will be developed to deliver information to
retailers about meth use and who to call if retailers are suspicious
about people buying products.

If people making the drug begin to use local stores for the precursor
drugs, Garis said the pharmacy associations are now positioned to respond.

Moleschi said the college is keeping a close eye on the problem and
will act quickly if it is apparent their products are being used to
make meth. Pharmacies will be part of the meth task force's education
program to ensure they don't unwittingly become part of the problem.

Surrey Fire Department has attended local meth labs on seven
occasions in the last four years. The number is relatively low
because of the nature of the labs.

"They can cook the stuff in a home, a shed, a trailer, a van. They're
very portable, they can move very quickly," Garis said.

The first meeting with retailers is expected later this month.