NEW WEST TO STRIKE METH TASK FORCE IN NEW YEAR

One of the first goals of a New Westminster meth task force will be to
find out the scope of the problem.

City council supported a motion by Coun. Lorrie Williams to set up the
task force. It should include various partners from the community, she
said.

Meth is a scourge on the city, she said, and the only way to deal with
it is to get everyone involved.

Williams told the NewsLeader the task force should model itself after
a similar one created in Maple Ridge more than a year ago.

Crystal methamphetamine is a street drugs with potentially greater
social implications than crack cocaine and heroin. It is readily
available because it can be made with a variety of household items and
chemicals that are easily available.

Meth is a synthetic drug that has does long-term damages the nervous
system. Its use can cause dependence and addiction, psychosis, stroke,
dangerously high body temperature and cardiac arrhythmia. Withdrawal
often results in severe depression and paranoia.