PROGRAM DETERS METH-MAKERS

It's been less than a month since local Shoppers Drug Mart outlets
joined Meth Watch, but at least one local retailer says the program
is already having a positive impact.

"We had a couple of characters in the store who wanted to order
four-litre jugs of rubbing alcohol, and we said 'no we can't do
that," said Brian Martindale, who owns two Shoppers Drug Mart outlets
in Victoria.

"Then they said 'OK, we'll just take 10 of the smaller bottles' and
we said 'we can't do that either.'"

Meth Watch, which started in Kansas in the mid-90s, is a North
America-wide effort to restrict access to meth-making ingredients
such as ephedrine-based cold remedies, paint thinner, iodine,
sulfuric or muriatic acid, red phosphorous, ether, acetone kerosene,
iodine and lithium batteries.

The program, one of a range of initiatives being undertaken by the
recently formed Crystal Meth Victoria Society, is being run locally
by Victoria police Const. Brad Fraser.

Local Meth Watch co-ordinators build relationships with the
businesses and help store owners train their staff on how to detect
unusual purchases.

The B.C. government has yet to place formal restrictions on crystal
meth ingredients, but workers who spot suspicious purchases have the
option of refusing to sell the materials or simply completing the
transaction and notifying police.

Martindale said since joining Meth Watch, the store's rubbing alcohol
has been moved behind the sales counter and antihistamines like
Sudafed are displayed in full view of counter staff.

Officials with London Drugs' head office in Richmond said the
pharmacy chain runs an internal meth reduction strategy consisting of
education materials posted on the company website, sales limits on
items that can be used to make crystal meth and screening of
suspicious customers.

"They were among the first retail chains to do something back in late
2004, but I couldn't tell you exactly what they do," said national
Meth Watch co-ordinator Gerry Harrington.

Meth Watch also works with hardware stores such as Home Depot and
Home Hardware that sell meth-making materials. Some chains allow
local managers to decide whether they want to participate, while
others make that determination out of head office.

Gary Candy, owner of the Central Saanich Home Hardware outlet, said,
"I haven't been approached by anyone with the program, so I'd need to
find out what they're asking. I'm in business to sell products but at
the same time we have a moral obligation to society... I'd like to
know more about it."

Crystal Meth Victoria is also monitoring crystal meth-related court
cases in an effort to determine how meth is influencing crime in the
Capital Region.

The court watch program, as it is known, will collect data on crystal
met-related crimes, track what happens to youth within the justice
system and make recommendations on how police and Crown counsel can
most effectively respond to crystal meth users in the justice system.

Both Meth Watch and the court watch program are part of a community
task force created by the Crystal Meth Victoria Society in
conjunction with the Greater Victoria school district. The task force
features 12 different committees working in three main areas -
education, enforcement and addiction treatment.