CRACKDOWN ON CHEMICALS USED FOR METH

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

In the next month, task force chair Bruce Hayne said he'll be working
with others in educating retailers about some of the "reactants" and
"precursor drugs" used to make crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as meth.

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 lethal street drug.

A recent survey 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 the
availability of these reactants.

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

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 that I received from the drug lab specialists here
in British Columbia indicate 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.

A strategy will be developed next week on how to deliver information
to retailers about meth use and who to call if they feel suspicious
about people buying the 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 becomes apparent their products are being used
to make meth.

Pharmacies will be part of the meth task force's education program to
help ensure they don't unwittingly become part of the problem.

The Surrey Fire Department has attended local meth labs on about
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, in a shed, in a trailer, in a
van, and they're very portable, they can move very quickly," Garis
said. "It's a real challenge from what I understand."

The first meeting with retailers is expected some time later this month.