MENACE NEEDS NO EXAGGERATION

Make no mistake, crystal meth is a scourge. It destroys the lives of users
and drags down their loved ones innocently caught in the crossfire or who
try to save the addicts.

Let's not exaggerate the problem, though, as Centre for Addictions Research
of B.C director Tim Stockwell discovered had happened last week. Several
media outlets - including the CBC, Globe and Mail and the Vancouver Sun -
reported estimates of 190,000 amphetamines users in B.C. last year.
Stockwell estimated the number at 22,000. Confusion was over whether usage
was in the past year or over a lifetime.

More telling was that 12 B.C. deaths in 2003 were associated with
methamphetamines. One is too many. Alcohol played a role in 1,789 deaths.
You can judge which is the greater tragedy.