CRYSTAL STORM

It was around nine months ago that the rumblings around crystal
methamphetamine use in Oceanside started getting louder, and this week
local groups decided they're going to do something about it.

Their action is beginning with the launch of an Oceanside Crystal Meth Task
Force to bring resources together against the rising use of the drug in the
area.

We need people in there - we need everybody, we need the people on the
drug, and we need the community that cares about what's happening," says
Society of Organized Services' executive director Kevin Wilson, who
introduced the idea.

Wilson says it was September last year that he began hearing from frontline
workers that they were seeing something different" in the community.

We said, okay, let's see what's going on, and that's when the crystal meth
started coming out," says Wilson.

Oceanside RCMP Corporal Garry Cox says it was around then that they started
hearing more about the drug in the area as well.

It seems the crystal meth is really hitting the community by storm," says
Cox. We recognize the problem is there and we're trying to do something
about it for the community."

Crystal methamphetamine is a highly-addictive drug made out of a concoction
of different, easily attainable ingredients. The immediate results for many
users is a high-energy effect, but the chemicals that are often used
(including battery acid, drain cleaner and allergy medication) lead to
serious and permanent damage.

From violence to paranoia, crystal meth users are not only destroying
their own brains, but can also pose a risk to the public, say police.

As it becomes a more popular and cheaper alternative, reports are coming in
that it's being cut into other drugs being sold in the area as well.

The latest increase here, which has even been marked by parents of users
(see related story on page A-), isn't easily attributable, says Cox.

I think it was a normal progression, Nanaimo has a problem with it and that
eventually comes up here," says Cox.

Cox says most of the drug's supply in Oceanside is coming from out of town,
but they hear rumours of producers in the area. The trouble he says, is how
portable production can be.

We're talking something that can be made ... in the trunk of a car," says
Cox. It's not like a grow-op that takes a long time to grow - once you're
done cooking you can clean up and no one's the wiser."

That, along with the cheap price that easy production enables, says Wilson,
has made it very prevalent in the area.

Cox says they are hearing about it a lot from area youth - when they ask
who's doing it, he says, they simply say everyone". Even if 50 per cent of
that is true, we have a real problem."

The task force, which will be modeled after a results-driven program set up
in Maple Ridge will focus on three branches: education, enforcement, and
treatment.

Education, explains Wilson, of the community, families and youth, which Cox
says is also an important part for the RCMP.

The enforcement side, outlines Wilson, includes topics like bylaws,
distribution and judicial liaisons. The final chapter, treatment, is geared
towards developing a plan for users here to find help, despite Oceanside's
lack of urgent care facilities.

Wilson says it's important that all are included so that everyone, at any
stage, is impacted.

We have a great community network here, [but] it's not working for kids on
the street, and it's not helping crystal meth," says Wilson. If you don't
deal with this issue you're going to lose all the good stuff you've got."

The first task force public meeting will be held Tuesday, June 28, 6:15
p.m. at the Parksville Community Centre.