POLICE BACK COLD WAR AGAINST CRYSTAL METH

Ottawa police say a provincial proposal to restrict the sale of cold
medicines that contain a key ingredient of crystal meth is merely a
good first step.

"No one response is going to be the answer to winning this war on
drugs," said Louise Logue, Ottawa police youth co-ordinator. "It's
going to require an integrated, comprehensive response that includes
education, awareness, treatment, school-based intervention, public
support and enforcement."

Logue's comments came yesterday after Ontario Health Minister George
Smitherman said a special committee will examine the feasibility of
regulating the sale of popular cold and allergy medications that
contain pseudoephedrine.

"Pseudoephedrine is the main ingredient and being the main ingredient
and being how easy it is to obtain this ingredient, it's certainly
timely that we start looking at these substances," Logue said. "I
think it's important for the health system to be able to monitor those
who use mind-altering substances or those who abuse mind-altering
substances."

PRESCRIPTION OPTION

While making common over-the-counter drugs like Sudafed, Actifed and
Contac available only by prescription is an option, Smitherman was
quick to add that would be one of many ideas on the table.

"We need to look in those jurisdictions that have taken that step (to
see) whether it's proven to be effective," he said.

A task force set up by Ontario's Ministry of Community Safety and
Correctional Services to combat the spread of crystal meth has only
met once and is still in its infancy, said ministry spokesman Andrew
Hilton.

At a meeting in Regina in June, Canada's health and justice ministers
agreed the western provinces would come up with a plan by October to
restrict the sale of cold medicines that contain ephedrine and
pseudoephedrine.

The idea of restricting the sale of drugs containing pseudoephedrine
isn't new in the U.S., where Oregon last month became the first state
to require a prescription to buy cold medication that has the drug as
its sole ingredient.

Health Canada has proposed regulating the sale of the drug's chemical
ingredients, but the idea has come under heavy fire from the
pharmaceutical industry.

"Cold medications are not the problem. Criminals and methamphetamine
are the problem," said David Skinner, president of the Nonprescription
Drug Manufacturers Association of Canada.

He said restricting cold medicines would be "ill-advised" as it would
further burden Ontario's already ailing health care system as those
with common colds head to their doctors.