DON'T RETREAT FROM WAR ON METH

Believe it or not, it's been a whole year since a provincial task
force tabled its report concerning crystal methamphetamine and not one
of the 83 recommendations it contained has been implemented.

Furthermore, rumblings from Premier Ed Stelmach's government about the
report are not exactly encouraging.

Asked why the recommendations haven't been implemented, Health
Minister Dave Hancock said his government is taking a broader approach
to drug addictions and focusing more on prevention.

Alberta Health and Wellness spokesman Howard May said he doesn't know
what the timetable is for rolling the report's 83 recommendations into
a broader anti-drug strategy.

Concerns about crystal meth apparently fell off the government's radar
when Ralph Klein retired as premier.

The meth task force was co-chaired by Klein's wife,
Colleen.

A day after the report was tabled, Klein announced he was leaving
politics.

Until then, the government had championed the task force's report
(probably because it was the pet project of the premier's wife).

Now that Klein and his wife are out of politics, Alberta Conservatives
seem to have lost interest in an issue that Colleen Klein once
described as urgent.

That must be especially disappointing to Central Albertans as both Red
Deer North MLA Mary Anne Jablonski and Red Deer Public School Division
superintendent Don Falk served on the task force.

In 2005, Jablonski said the superintendent of police in Red Deer had
told her that crystal meth was the issue of most concern to city RCMP.

Red Deer's chief officer "went on to say that what really concerned
him is the fact that he didn't know of one 10-year-old child who
couldn't get their hands on $10, the cost of a packet of crystal
meth," she added.

Meanwhile, in a statement published on a government website, Falk
said: "As an educator and a parent, I want our students, their
families and our schools to do everything they can to prevent the
spread of crystal meth and other illicit drugs. This task force has
the opportunity to be the first of its kind to fight the advancement
of a drug before it reaches into the very core of our communities and
our society."

It may have seemed that way a year ago, but now the task force's
report appears to be gathering dust.

The government is acting with no speed in putting into effect the
recommendations about the drug known as speed, jib, crank, meth,
crystal, ice, etc.

The task force's recommendations called for more treatment and
prevention programs, as well as tougher penalties for meth-related
crimes. The committee also asked for more addiction counsellors in
schools, a provincewide advertising campaign and more specialized
police units.

And how much would implementing the recommendations have
cost?

Well, former health minister Iris Evans once said the cost of not
implementing the recommendations would be "far greater" than their
$30-million price tag.

Jablonski recently expressed concerns about delays in implementing the
recommendations.

"I'm disappointed it's taking some time in rolling them into the
broader strategy," she said. "The urgency is not quite the same."

While Klein was in office, his government passed a law giving parents
the power to force their drug-addicted teenaged children into detox.

The law was introduced as a private member's bill by Jablonski, who
said she had been influenced by the horror stories of parents with
meth-addicted children.

It's amazing that Stelmach and company haven't followed up on the task
force's recommendations, since it seems unlikely that many people,
including opposition parties, would disagree with battling meth.

However, one wonders if Stelmach's government is more concerned about
ensuring the success of projects it has started than those established
under a previous premier.

Let's hope, for the sake of the province's youth, that this government
is not that petty.

Meth is said to be one of the most dangerous narcotics and one of the
hardest addictions to treat.

Its prevalence contributes to crime throughout Alberta as addicts
steal from vehicles and homes to fuel their habit.

If Alberta's government can't find $30 million (about the cost of
building a large high school) to take on meth, one really has to
wonder what the Tories consider important.

As well, if it's true that meth is the biggest concern for Red Deer
police, why are we hearing so much about marijuana busts lately, but
little -- if anything -- about the dismantling of meth labs?

Is the problem of meth really being taken seriously in Red Deer and
elsewhere in Alberta?

Unfortunately, a year after the task force called for 300 new beds to
help meth addicts, Alberta parents are still sending their kids out of
province for treatment.

Has the task force helped those youths?

Well, it tried, but Alberta's government did what governments tend to
do. It struck a task force so it could be seen to be doing something
when the political heat was on.

Then, when media and public scrutiny died down, it conveniently put
the task force's report on a shelf with a promise that the matter will
eventually be addressed.

That's not the way to combat an "urgent" problem.

Lee Giles is an Advocate editor.