DEADLY DRUG 'HAS BEEN HERE FOR YEARS'

Chris Mano was 13 years old when he began "huffing" glue from a plastic bag
at the side of a railroad track. It would be the first of many "highs" to come.

Marijuana, crack cocaine and Ecstasy - there isn't much the former addict
hasn't tried, save for crystal meth, a highly-addictive stimulant invading
communities across North America. And according to Mano, Orillia is one of
them. "It is here in town, definitely," the 26 year old said in a recent
interview. "It has been here for years, and it has to be stopped."

In an effort to stem the tide of methamphetamine flooding western Canada
and parts of Ontario, Ottawa recently introduced stiffer penalties for
producers of the drug, as well as those who sell or use it.

The maximum sentence for trafficking or manufacturing crystal meth has now
risen from 10 years to life in prison, though critics have pointed out that
life sentences are rarely handed down for heroin and other drugs of a
similar caliber. Tougher penalties are also promised for possession.

Mano, who was addicted to crack cocaine for seven years, has witnessed the
destructive effects of crystal meth.

That drug that often led friends to explode in violent rages.

"I've seen it with my own two eyes, and it's scary," he says.

Communities in southern Ontario plagued by a readily available supply of
crystal meth are already working to combat its spread, and have been for
some time, said OPP Const. Sean McTeague.

"It is the new thing to try," he added of the drug's exploding popularity.

Now with the OPP's Orillia detachment, McTeague was formerly involved in
undercover drug enforcement for the Stratford area.

There, clandestine labs are busily churning out batches of ecstasy, MDA
and, increasingly, crystal meth, often in rural locations.

However large a challenge police face in stemming the production and sale
of these drugs, addicts hoping to free themselves of their grasp must
overcome the greatest hurdle of all, said McTeague.

He recalled the heart-rending story of a father of two young children who
underwent rehabilitation treatment, only to find the wolves back at his
doorstep within hours of his release.

"The day he got out, the drug dealers were basically saying 'You are going
to take this stuff, or we are going to do physical harm to you.'"

It is a world Mano knows well.

In another time and place, this gentle-spoken man with a fondness for cats
earned his drug money as many addicts do, through crime.

He holds nothing back and readily admits his involvement in armed robberies
- - gas station attendants held up at gunpoint for whatever cash was in the
till - and the desperation that led him to carry out such acts.

Prison was inevitable, and when it came, it arrived like a cold, hard slap
across the face.

"Some people may find it shameful that I discuss my addiction, but I don't
find it shameful at all," he said.

"I am not an addict anymore."

With the support of addictions counselors, and his long-time girlfriend,
Mano has rid himself of the demons that for so many years had occupied his
body and mind.

Four years have passed since his last fix, and life, while not without its
challenges, is becoming better by the day.

His relationship, he says, is solid, and he derives immense satisfaction
from volunteering regularly at the Orillia and District Literacy Council.

His one-bedroom apartment is small, but it is his - a home base from which
to search out that still elusive job.

"I did this through courage, through determination, through love for
myself," he said.

"I did this to find out who Chris Mano is."

Others haven't been so fortunate.

The local man knows of 15 people living in the Orillia area who have died
as a result of addictions to drugs, alcohol or both within the past six years.

"They are buried six feet under," he added.

To readers of Orillia Today, particularly teens on the verge of
experimenting with crystal meth or any other mind-altering substance, Mano
offers the following words of wisdom:

"There is a lot more to live for than drugs."

Including an 11-year-old daughter, whom he hasn't laid eyes upon for the
past decade - taken by her mother at a time when he himself admits he was
unfit for fatherhood.

"If I find my daughter one day, or she finds me, I want her to see me as a
person, not a drug addict," he added.

"I want her to know her dad is somebody who is strong and who didn't give
up, somebody who accomplished the goals they fought for."