'I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I WAS GETTING MESSED UP' PART 7

HANOVER -- "This town is going crazy," says Jim Green, 51, of Hanover. He
should know. He was hooked on speed (methamphetamine, also known as meth,
crystal meth, ice, jib and many other names) for three years, until 10
years ago, but he still has connections, and he knows firsthand what the
drug does.

The last time Green did speed was Jan. 25, 1995. "I was a mess, and it
opened my eyes," he says, sitting in an interview room at the Hanover
Police Services. This interview was arranged by Hanover Police Chief Tracy
David, at Green's request, in response to the "Not My Kid" series in The Post.

"Physically it wasn't hard to quit, but psychologically it was. It took me
three months to realize what a mess my thinking was."

It began when he divorced his wife and moved in with a woman. "She did it
(speed), so I did too," he recalls. He either snorted or ate the drug.

Green, who works as a general tradesman in Hanover and Durham, says he
continued to work while he was on speed, doing up to 14-day runs on the
drug without sleeping. He says he seldom suffered crashes (coming down off
the drug, often said to be the worst of any drug).

He also says he didn't lose much weight while doing speed, usually a
side-effect to methamphetamine because it takes away one's appetite.

"If you do it steadily, you can convince yourself to eat and sleep,
although you don't feel like it," he says. "I always ate one meal a day."

Methamphetamine is cheap compared to most drugs, he says, which is part of
its attractiveness. So is the euphoria.

"When you start (taking the drug) it gives you awareness, you think you're
getting smarter," he says. "But that's short-term. Then it starts
distorting your thinking, after about a month."

Green says after taking the drug for about a month, he was addicted. "They
say you get addicted after the first time, but I think you're not so much
addicted but you liked it so much you want more."

He got to the point where he had to keep taking the drug in order to keep
going. "It beats the heck out of the body, you lose all your reserves," he
says.

For Green, before he did speed, he smoked pot. He's experimented over the
years, he says, but now he is drug-free.

Green lived away from Hanover for a few years, and returned recently. Since
he's been back in town, he's been bumping into some old friends from his
speed days. He's been offered a hit of meth for free, but when he refused,
they left him alone, he says.

"I just tell them, 'no thanks, I don't do it anymore,'" he says.

But it's harder for young people to say no, he says. "Kids are vulnerable,"
says Green. "They smoke pot with their friends, then their friends give
them speed, and they will try it because of peer pressure."

It's also easy to get, he says. "There are 20 people in town that I know
that you cold go to to get speed if you wanted it," he says. "I'm lucky --
I have no urges for it, just memories."

Green has five kids, ages 12 to 22, and he lives alone.

He says he's hearing on the street that the age of crystal meth users is
getting younger. "It's not new here, but the age range has dropped," he
observes. "When I was on speed, anyone who gave it (speed) to teens, that
person was cut off. Nobody is capable of handling it, but I was older and
more experienced, I could handle it better."

He adds, "When I did it, I knew where it came from. Now lots of people are
making it and you don't know what's in it."

The solution to get through to teens, Green says, is awareness. "Let them
know the long-term effects of it," he says. "No kid is going to try it once
or twice and be convinced not to take it -- it feels so good, the sex is
great . . . We need more parent awareness so they can recognize the signs
in their kids."

The signs can include: alertness, confusion, dry mouth, teeth grinding, jaw
clenching, sensitivity to sound, injection sites (if used), increased self
confidence, anxiety, delirium, euphoria, irritability, reduced fatigue,
sweating, reduced appetite, lowered social inhibitions, aggressiveness,
dilated pupils, enhanced sexual activity, increased blood pressure,
sensitivity to light, talkativeness and wakefulness. Chronic users of
methamphetamine can have severe physical and mental problems. They may
experience delusions, visual and auditory hallucinations and exhibit
violent behaviour.

A chronic abuser may have some of the following conditions: aggressiveness,
anorexia, anxiety and tension, delusions, depression, insomnia, mental
confusion, panic attacks, paranoia, perspiration odour, seizures, skin
sores, sweating, tremors, poor hygiene, hallucinations, weight loss, rapid
mood swings, restlessness, formication (crank bugs), violent behaviour and
discoloured or rotting teeth.

"The police are trying to get a handle on it," Green says. "(Chief) Tracy
David is on the right track, she cares about the town. She's raising
awareness about the problem and she's not afraid to let people know there's
a problem."

Green thinks access to ephedrine -- an important ingredient in
methamphetamine and found in many over-the-counter cold medications --
should be limited, but keeping it behind the counter in pharmacies or
requiring a doctor's prescription for the drug.

Green says he had some counselling after quitting speed. He had no problems
quitting, he says. "But my life was messed up because of it," he says.
"It's scary, because I didn't think I was getting messed up."