FIGHTING THE SCOURGE OF METH

The scourge of crystal meth has yet to seriously hit Ladysmith, but
that doesn't mean the community shouldn't begin mobilizing to combat
the dangerous drug, a meeting of interested stakeholders heard last
week.

Representatives from Ladysmith's youth, police, high school, ambulance
service, fire department, Town council, and front-line drug
counsellors met at City Hall Wednesday to talk about the extent to
which crystal meth has infiltrated the community, and to discuss
intervention strategies to stop its spread.

The general consensus at the meeting was that Ladysmith is not
experiencing a greater prevalence of the drug than any other community
in B.C.

However, teens and drug counsellors admitted both crystal meth and
ecstasy, a popular drug among youth, are readily available for as
little as $10 a hit.

Ladysmith drug counsellor Kim Chadwick said the number of teens using
crystal meth are in the vast minority in Ladysmith, but she estimated
one in 10 is experimenting with ecstasy, based on the national average.

She said many youths are dropping ecstasy tablets without realizing
they are also taking crystal meth, which is in "99 per cent" of the
tablets, said Chadwick.

Ecstasy may also contain other drugs like ketamine (a pet
tranquillizer), PCP, heroine, and cocaine, making the drug potentially
dangerous, said Chadwick, because users don't know what they're taking.

The wrong combination of drugs in ecstasy tablets has caused
overdoses, and in some cases, death.

Tellingly, the local ambulance unit reports a dramatic spike in
overdoses, especially among youth.

A paramedic at the meeting said over the last 12 months there have
been 106 overdoses in the Ladysmith area, or two per week. About 80
per cent of the ODs are teenagers, some as young as 12 years old, with
ecstasy tablets the most commonly ingested drug.

Chadwick described crystal meth as an "ugly" drug that has been
designed to produce a quick high that can last 8 to 12 hours, with
strong addictive properties.

"It's a drug that makes you invincible. Everything you do is fun," she
said. "But it goes from the most wonderful thing to the worst thing
and it happens very quickly. It creates such a strong addiction.

One young woman who courageously related her addiction to crystal meth
and other hard drugs like crack cocaine and heroin, said she used
drugs for six years and at one point was doing a couple of grams of
crystal meth a day. Her most disturbing anecdote came when she
described a psychotic state know as "tweaking", where addicts
obsessively pick their skin because they think they have bugs crawling
on them.

"I weighed 85 pounds, picked my whole face and my whole body. It was
pretty bad," said the woman, who quit using drugs about six months
ago.

Disturbingly, she said meth use among teens is more common than five
years ago, when it was virtually non-existent in Ladysmith "[It's] so
easy to get," she said. "I've seen kids 13-14 doing crystal meth .. I
definitely think it's an issue in this town. Crystal meth and ecstasy.

Ladysmith RCMP say they haven't noticed an appreciable rise in crimes
relating to crystal meth, with the notable exception of a drug bust
this summer that netted police over 40 grams of crystal meth - enough
for 400 doses.

Clearly, however, drugs are a factor in most petty crimes, said Cpl.
Rob Graves.

"I'd venture to say all or most are related to someone who is
supporting a drug habit or trafficking in it," he said.

On the treatment side, drug and youth counsellors at the meeting noted
Ladysmith and Vancouver Island are sorely lacking when it comes to
help with addictions. Vancouver Island only has one youth detox
facility, and youth with serious addictions must be sent off-Island to
a long-term residential treatment facility in Vancouver or the
Interior, some of which have waiting lists up to nine months.

Currently there are no drug or alcohol workers for adults in Ladysmith.

While no conclusions or strategies were reached at Wednesday's
meeting, most agreed Ladysmith is moving down the right path in taking
a proactive approach to dealing with the threat of crystal meth.

Another community meeting will be scheduled sometime over the next few
weeks.