HEALTH CANADA TO CURB CRYSTAL METH CHEMICALS

HEALTH Canada pledged yesterday that tougher rules and more inspectors
will cut down on the illegal flow of chemicals that end up being used
to make crystal methamphetamine.

Carole Bouchard, Health Canada's director of the controlled substances
program, said Ottawa is set to announce this week new regulations that
will make it more difficult for legally imported chemicals to be
diverted onto Canada's synthetic-drug black market.

These changes also include more Health Canada inspectors to do ongoing
checks of licensed companies to ensure these chemicals, such as
ephedrine, do not end up in dangerous clandestine labs.

Bouchard was responding a series of articles in the Free Press that
revealed more than half of the ephedrine legitimately imported into
Canada ends up being used to make crystal methamphetamine, a highly
addictive street drug that's taking over from crack cocaine as the
drug of choice in Western Canada.

Ephedrine is a stimulant mostly processed in Asia and India and used
as a decongestant. It's also used as a weight-loss aid and is the most
common ingredient used in making crystal meth. Bouchard said the
regulatory changes will include more site inspections of companies
that import ephedrine and other chemicals to follow up on how those
chemicals are being distributed and to whom.

Revoke Licence

If suspicious activity is uncovered, Health Canada can revoke a
company's licence and then call in the RCMP or Canadian Border
Services Agency, she said.

But critics charge the criminal penalties are too weak in Canada to
deter anyone from illegally possessing ephedrine or other precursor
chemicals.

Under the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, anyone
convicted is only liable to a maximum fine of $5,000 or a three-year
jail term.

Manitoba Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh also said Health Canada has
so far not put any inspectors or compliance officers into the field to
plug the flow of chemicals into large drug labs, which are mostly run
by the Hells Angels and Asian-based crime groups.

But Bouchard said inspectors both in Ottawa and throughout Canada are
beginning to ask more questions of licence-holding companies and
demanding verification of transactions.

Bouchard also said Health Canada will add six new chemicals to
Canada's Precursor Control Regulations next month to prevent them from
being used in clandestine labs to make crystal meth or gamma
hydroxybutyrate (GHB), also known as a "date rape" drug.

The six chemicals are gamma butyrolactone, butanediol, red phosphorus,
white phosphorus, hypophosphorous acid and hydriodic acid.