Meth war targets cold medicines

Health and police officials are urging the restriction of the sale of
the country's most popular cold medications because they contain a key
ingredient used to make crystal methamphetamine, a potentially lethal
street drug.

They intend to persuade a new crystal meth task force, soon to be
announced by the provincial government, of the necessity to restrict
the sale of pseudoephedrine, a chemical found in many cold and allergy
medications such as Sudafed, Actifed and Contac, which crystal meth
cooks use to make the highly addictive drug.

"The bottom line is that without pseudoephedrine you cannot make
crystal meth," said Perth County medical officer of health Dr. Rosana
Pellizzari. "Restricting access to it will act as a deterrent to the
production of crystal meth."

The goal of the new committee, an offshoot of the government's Green
Tide Action Group on marijuana grow operations, is to recommend a
strategy for the province to deal with the growing problem of crystal
meth use and production.

(Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman said today that the
province is considering restricting the sales of some cold
medications, Canadian Press reports.

(Smitherman said the province may require prescriptions to buy cold
medications like Sudafed, Actifed and Contac.)

The problem is already deeply entrenched in the western provinces, but
officials here know the drug is sweeping eastward and want to tackle
it in its early stages, so they don't fall behind the rest of North
America in stopping it.

"They've had a horrible experience with it out west and the fear is
that it's going to become the case in Ontario," said David Bedard of
the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, who will
co-chair the group.

Many American states have restricted access to the everyday
medications by limiting their sale or placing them behind the
pharmacist's counter.

In June the health ministers of Canada's western provinces pledged to
come up with plans to do the same by October. Part of the urgency
stemmed from their counterparts in the U.S., who feared their own
strict regulations would lead to smuggling from Canada. North Dakota
Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem told the health ministers, "Everybody
has to join in and be willing to accept some minor inconvenience to
put up some major road blocks."

No such plan is in the works for Ontario.

But Perth-Middlesex MPP John Wilkonson said it probably should be. "If
someone wants to buy three cases of Sudafed, that's not normal."

The vast rural landscape of Perth County, around Stratford, has made
it the crystal meth capital of Ontario. It's now the biggest drug
problem there, and police have reported thieves stealing cold
medications right out of the box.

Crystal meth is gaining in popularity because the high is long-lasting
and intense, and it is so cheap. A user can stay high for 12 hours for
as little as $5.

But side effects, including heart problems, hallucinations and
violence, can be devastating.

Pellizzari, who was at an organizational meeting of the new meth
committee on Aug. 3, calls crystal a "suicide drug" because, she said,
it is so lethal. "Parents and children need to understand it's not
like marijuana, not just a substance of abuse. It can kill you.
Essentially it's like ingesting poison. People don't go and ingest
Drano for pleasure."

Pellizzari proposes radical action: making the cold and allergy pills
available only by prescription, something the federal government would
have to do, but has no plans for.

On Tuesday, Oregon became the first U.S. state to enact such a law in
the face of a meth scourge.

If Canada fails to make drugs containing pseudoephedrine available
only by prescription, Pellizzari said. "The compromise position would
be to keep it behind the counter."

The Ontario Provincial Police clandestine lab co-ordinator said the
meth group should consider proposing legislation to limit purchases of
medications containing pseudoephedrine to small quantities.

Det.-Sgt. Paul Henry also wants a Meth Watch program, similar to that
in the U.S. and the western provinces, started here to educate
pharmacists and business owners on when purchases of crystal meth
precursors become suspect.

"That would have business owners working with us as our eyes and ears
and notify us of some of these transactions," Henry said.

Wilkinson said the provincial government could also play a role in
restricting other meth precursors.

The farm fertilizer anhydrous ammonia is also used in one major meth
recipe. "If you're not a farmer why do you need anhydrous ammonia?"
said Wilkinson. "We may need to put restrictions on these
precursors."

Health Canada has proposed regulating certain other chemicals used to
make meth, such as red phosphorous, and illegal possession would carry
stiff fines or imprisonment.

Last week the federal government made meth a Schedule I drug,
increasing maximum penalties for possession or production.

Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson told the meth group's initial meeting
that the drug is taking a significant health and economic toll on
small communities.

For instance, it recently cost his city $4,000 just to have four
propane tanks removed from one meth lab.

Mathieson said a meth prevention program must also be introduced in
schools.

"Awareness, intervention -- that's something we can all do. We don't
need a minister involved or legislation to do that."

The meth group will consider all suggestions, said chairman Bedard.
But it has not yet been given a deadline to develop a strategy, he
reported.

"You can't go off half-cocked and start doing things. We're going to
get the information and try to develop a strategy that's going to work
for us."