NO EASY ANSWERS TO CRYSTAL METH PROBLEM

He stands on the busy sidewalk screaming in an agony that onlookers cannot
understand. He is young - perhaps in his mid-20s. His contorted face is an
unhealthy red, his hair is wild and he flails his arms as though warding
off demons the rest of us cannot see.

His intensity, his frenetic movements, and his Kurt Cobain screams are
vaguely familiar. "Crystal meth," observes a woman two tables over on the
cafe terrace, and some of us nod in recognition. None of us wants to look
at him - it is too painful, too overwhelming.

Yet later, I see him again on the early evening news as part of a feature
on crystal methamphetamine. The cameras have caught him in mid-scream.

Sadly, he is but one of a growing number of Canadians, urban and rural, and
usually young, who have embraced the seductive promise of a quick and cheap
high.

Crystal meth can be snorted, smoked, injected or swallowed. It's available
to everyone - the price is right and the high is instant. "Powerful and
dirt cheap," said one former addict explaining its attraction.

As we are all learning, whether we want to or not, the ingredients
(ephedrine and pseudoephedrine) are readily available over the counter in
such cold medications as Sudafed, Actifed and Contac.

The recipe is easily available on the Internet and the equipment needed to
make the stuff is inexpensive and portable.

The results are horrific. Some people die from one hit of crystal meth,
while others become instantly addicted, so powerful and immediate is this
drug. It doesn't just affect the body of course, it also affects the mind.
Psychiatric hospitals are reporting that people, mostly young, are showing
up in their wards, their brains fried from crystal meth.

And more than one women's shelter is now keeping a record of the increase
in the number of women seeking shelter who come from homes where the
abusive husband is on crystal meth.

In answer to this growing tragedy, some politicians have suggested that
prescriptions should be required for the purchase of cold medications. In
the U.S., Oregon has become the first state to require a prescription.

Other lawmakers want store owners and clerks to refuse to make bulk sales
to customers - not a bad suggestion since across Canada there are numerous
incidents of suspected dealers buying 50 to 100 boxes of cold medicine at
one time.

On the other hand, drugstores are reporting that the medicines are being
stolen right out of the boxes on the shelves.

Perhaps a better suggestion is that these meds be taken off the shelves and
put behind the counter so that customers have to ask for them.

Currently, Ontario, Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan are planning to study
possible regulations on the sale of such medications.

Other solutions include the proposal that landlords who rent to people who
set up crystal meth labs be held liable - an unworkable idea since dealers
tend to rent from offshore landlords. They also look for houses, barns or
other structures on secluded properties in rural areas.

And there are some, including people in Paul Martin's government, who
believe that stricter laws will alleviate the problem.

Earlier this month, Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and Justice Minister
Irwin Cotler announced a stiffening of the penalties (from 10 years to
life) for possession, production and trafficking of methamphetamine.

Well and good, but since the Canadian justice system rarely hands out
maximum sentences to cocaine and heroin dealers, there is no reason to
believe meth dealers will be dealt with severely. This new law may turn out
to be great - on paper.

Fortunately, some politicians seem to be catching on to the complexity of
the problem. Ontario Health ministry spokesman Andrew Hilton said recently:
"Meth is a difficult issue, because you've got health issues, you've got
addiction issues and you've got educational issues because a lot of kids
don't know what it is."

But as yet, no one is talking much about the need for education - about
doctors, psychiatrists, former addicts, police and parents of addicts
coming into the schools and talking to kids about the effects of crystal
meth. No false scare tactics, no moralizing, and no lectures - simple
reality will do nicely.

Meanwhile, back on the sidewalk, the young man sinks to his knees. He rips
off his shirt and flings his arms wide. He screams a question: "What do you
want?"

Is he asking us or himself? Either way, there is no answer.