MAKING METH EASY -- RCMP

What do ephedrine, paint thinner, a turkey baster and aluminum foil
get you -- a methamphetamine lab.

These are just a few of the many household items that can be used to
make the highly addictive drug, Sgt. Harold Trupish from the Edmonton
RCMP K Division told a group of more than 50 people who gathered
during an information session at the Civic Centre, Oct. 26. And these
labs can be found everywhere from backyards to car trunks and sheds.

"Everything you need to make meth, you can obtain legally," said
Trupish. "It's the number one drug being locally produced in Alberta.
Seventy-two per cent of the meth labs in Canada are located in our
province and B.C."

Common cold pills containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine like
allergy, cough, sinus and asthma medications -- the one must-have
ingredient to make meth -- are all easily available over the counter
to everyone.

"People need to be aware of what's being bought from shops," said
Trupish, adding of the 57 drug labs seized in Alberta in 2004, 70 per
cent produced meth.

"Anybody can be a cook, you don't need to be a chemist. But the
chemicals being mixed (to make the drug) are very explosive and can
take out entire neighbourhoods (if handled improperly)."

This is why he's asking the business community to be leery of shoppers
looking for these items or buying them in large quantities.

"It's tragic what's going on in rural areas," said Trupish, adding
production and use are both on the rise rurally. "We've got people
saving their urine in jars (which can be used for cooking meth) just
in case they can't get their next fix."

Trupish said the only place meth labs haven't popped up is in the
Maritimes. As for Saskatchewan and Manitoba, he said the problem is
increasing and finding ways to keep meth out of the system is becoming
harder.

"The drug has become easy to produce and the purity of it has risen,
while the price has dropped significantly," he said. "Anybody who has
five dollars can get it.

"There's also no law on how much ephedrine someone can have and now
we're trying to change this."

Becoming familiar with the items used to make meth and recognizing
paraphernalia can assist police in dealing with this problem.

For more information, or to report any meth activity in your area,
call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.