BEWARE THE EFFECTS OF METH ADDICTION

Community Plans Key To Containment

A program that has seen success in its approach to dealing with the
prevalence of crystal meth use in Maple Ridge could soon be implemented on
the North Shore.

"This is a different drug than all the rest," said Gord Robson, a
representative of the Meadowridge Rotary Club, to approximately 75 North
Shore residents at a July 27 community meeting. Residents of North and West
Vancouver, and representatives of local government, law enforcement and
community service groups gathered at the North Shore Salvation Army in
North Vancouver to discuss how meth addiction may affect the North Shore.

Robson showcased the success of Maple Ridge in responding as a community to
the use of crystal methamphetamine, or "meth," in the Fraser Valley
municipality.

He said he has heard from some residents that the only meth addicts North
Shore residents are contending with are "those" from east Vancouver. To
dispel this stereotype, he called on two current residents.

"I was probably one of the biggest meth addicts on the North Shore," said
John Kevin Gauthier.

He said he remembers the first time he bought the drug was at the foot of
Lonsdale Avenue.

"It's everywhere you go," said the 19-year-old who has been drug free for
seven months after spending six years addicted to meth and engaging in a
variety of criminal and violent activity.

Gauthier decided to stop using after a violent incident between himself and
his girlfriend left her hospitalized. He credits the North Shore Salvation
Army staff for his recovery and now plans to return to school so he can
work with the organization.

Sharon McNickle, 31, also spoke at the meeting. Clean for two months, she
spent a year shooting heroin into her neck, or so she thought. She later
realized she had been sold meth all along. McNickle was detoxed by
Salvation Army staff, who spent a weekend driving her around, sitting on
her, whatever it took to help her reach a stage of eligibility for entry
into a Lower Mainland treatment facility as there are no such services on
the North Shore.

"There is help out there if you can find it," she said.

A single mother, McNickle gave her children up voluntarily to complete
treatment, and now hopes to resume their custody in the fall. She said she
hopes her experiences can help influence others to seek help.

"As we were fighting this drug and mobilized against it, we learned a lot,"
said Robson. At the suggestion of Premier Gordon Campbell, a film was
created, Life or Meth: A Community Takes Action, profiling the community's
work, he said. The film was shown at last week's meeting.

Work was started in Maple Ridge in 2004 following a community meeting. A
strict timeline was imposed and within a few months, three task forces were
implementing action plans focused on education, enforcement and treatment.

"We'd like North Vancouver to be one of the communities that is going to
launch this in September," said Robson.

Interested communities are asked to raise $2,500 for a training session
held the last week of August.

"This is your community and unless you do something this is going to
overwhelm you," he said.

Robson said change has to come from the community, not instituted by the
provincial or federal governments. He warned against diluting the campaign
with other social issues. In Maple Ridge, the focus on meth resulted in
immediate action, and other social issues were addressed as a byproduct.

Sgt. Sheryl Armstrong of the North Vancouver RCMP also spoke at the
meeting. Supt. Gord Tomlinson brought the program to her attention early
last week and asked her to oversee the law enforcement component.

After the meeting, Armstrong said that she will be meeting with Robson and
members of the community this week to see what's involved in implementing
the program locally, with ideally, a resident as chairperson.

Armstong said while the exact figures are unknown, police know that crystal
meth is on the North Shore.

"I think the thing with crystal meth is that it's found in all the drugs,"
she said. "It gets cut into heroin, it gets cut into cocaine."

Meth is believed to be cheaper and easier to produce, a potential reason
for its inclusion in drugs sharing similar effects. Armstrong said she has
heard from a fellow officer that the cost of purchasing meth has dropped 50
per cent from what it was last year.

"Crystal meth, although it's an old drug, is relatively new to us as police
officers as for what signs to look for," said Armstrong.

The local detachment plans to educate its members, then the community, and
potentially implement the Meth Watch program, which teaches retailers what
to look for to help stop the production of meth as its ingredients are
readily available over the counter.

Anderson said she hopes the community works together on this and doesn't
divide into separate groups.

Representatives of North Vancouver City also spoke at the meeting. Coun.
Rod Clark referred to the new Lower Lonsdale Community Safety Task Force, a
partnership between the city and the RCMP. Its first meeting is scheduled
for Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. at the RCMP detachment at 147 East 14th St.
Interested participants are encouraged to attend.

Clark said he is aware that there is a feeling in the community that
addressing these issues in a grassroots fashion is preferred; however, as a
legislative body, council has a role as do community members and experts.

"You'll find with meth when you get into it, it isn't a political issue,"
said Robson.

He said it would be a shame if the city divided itself over this issue.

Sue Cook, a resident of the 200-block of West Fourth Street in North
Vancouver, involved in helping to organize the meeting, said she was
thrilled with the level of interest. Cook is working on planning another
meeting, allowing residents to voice their concerns to representatives of
the justice system.

Not commenting on Maple Ridge, but on addiction issues in general in the
Lower Mainland, Dr. David Marsh, medical director for Addiction Services,
HIV/AIDS Services and Aboriginal Health for Vancouver Coastal Health, told
the North Shore News that focusing on the needs of those with addictions,
rather than their drug of choice, is the most effective means of offering
assistance.

"We don't know for certain, but there is some indirect evidence that
suggests the use of crystal methamphetamine has increased recently in
British Columbia but it still is much less common than other drugs," he said.

Alcohol, cannabis and tobacco are the leading drugs in terms of the number
of people who use them, and the damage use does to society and health,
particularly in the cases of alcohol and tobacco.

"In terms of illegal drugs, there are still many more people who use
cocaine and even heroin than methamphetamine," Marsh said.

In November, Vancouver Coastal Health hosted the interdisciplinary Western
Canadian Summit on Methamphetamine which produced a report looking at the
reality of meth use and making recommendations on courses of action.

"One of the key messages from the report was that methamphetamine is not
the most important drug problem," Marsh said.

Meth needs to be viewed in the context of the other drug problems existent
in the province.

"It's important that we have a continuum of addiction services that can
deal with people where they're at," he said.

Services are necessary for: current users, like syringe exchanges; for
those wishing to stop, like outreach and treatment intervention programs;
and for those wishing to maintain drug free lives, like support recovery
and the ability to find affordable housing.

"In terms of treatment services what we're really trying to do is develop a
comprehensive set of services for youth and adults that will engage them
based on their needs regardless of which drug they happen to have a problem
with," Marsh said.

Marsh said he hopes the willingness to try innovative new programs
addressing addiction issues in the Lower Mainland can continue.

"I think problems related to substance use affect communities; they arise
out of the individuals who are part of our communities," he said. "The
community has an important part to play in the solution, but we all need to
work together."

It's important to remember that government-funded services are also part of
the community, Marsh said.