POLICE TACKLE METH ABUSE: AIM TO EDUCATE PARENTS

Drug sellers are on Ponoka streets peddling crystal meth but RCMP are
cracking down and aiming to educate local parents.

"Kids seem to be getting hooked on it and we want to make parents
aware of what signs to look for," said Cst. Chris Konig.

The drug is so addictive that over 90 per cent of its first time
users are hooked says Konig. "Once you do it you're strapped. The
majority of first time users are hooked and it leads to death it's
that bad of a drug.

"There's over 100 chemicals involved in making it, paint thinner,
battery acid, drain cleaner, gasoline and antifreeze. It's all toxic stuff."

Konig says the drug is newer to Ponoka with crack cocaine being the
most popular here. But he says because the drug is so cheap to make
and cheap to buy, police are bracing for it to become more prevalent
in the community.

"The profit of meth makes it desirable for these sellers."

The police will be holding a free public information session in
Ponoka Jan. 30, 7 p.m. at the Kinsmen Centre. Edmonton K Division
Staff Sergeant Ian Sanderson will be on hand as well as local
detachment members and the fire department.

Crystal meth is a colorless, odorless man-made stimulant that looks
like small fragments of glass or shiny blue-white rocks of various
sizes. It has a long-lasting euphoric effect.

Those who abuse the drug usually do so by smoking it in glass pipes
or they may inject it. The abuser experiences an immediate high that
can last over 12 hours.

Crystal meth causes serious physical problems by causing rapid heart
rate, increased blood pressure and damages the small blood vessels in
the brain leading to a stroke. Chronic users of the drug can damage
the lining of their heart. Overdoses may cause an elevated body
temperature, convulsions and death.

Abusers of the drug may become violent, paranoid, anxious, confused
and suffer from insomnia.