SEEKING HIGHER PRISON TERMS

Had he somehow been producing or trafficking in cocaine or heroin, a
meth cook (see story above) could have been looking at 10 years in
jail instead of three, Crown prosecutors said Monday.

The Controlled Drugs and Substances Act limits sentences to not more
than 10 years for methamphetamines, whereas cocaine and heroin can
carry life sentences.

The CDSA has been a little slow to catch up to current trends and
science that might otherwise include crystal meth in the same category
with the higher offences.

"The (B.C.) Court of Appeal has recognized that meth is as serious as
cocaine and heroin and that should be considered, though we have to
take into account the maximum," prosecutor Valerie Hartney said. "Had
it not been a 10 year maximum we would have been seeking double digits."

The CDSA isn't the only finger of government slow to respond. There
are still very few controls over so-called precursors, the chemicals
needed to make the meth.

The key ingredient is ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, commonly found in
medications like Sudafed or Actifed.

Last year, the B.C. Ministry of Health enlisted the help of retailers,
grocery store chains and pharmacists to watch for changes in sales
patterns through a program called Meth Watch.

Dr. Brenda Osmond, deputy registar with the College of Pharmacists of
B.C., said her members have been aware of the potential for years. But
she said if the police-reported increase in crystal meth is real, they
likely aren't getting it from retailers.

"We know from conversations with police that when they find a meth
lab, they do not find consumer packaged products, they find large tubs
of raw material that are clearly not retail," she said.