CRYSTAL METH NOW ONE OF TOP ABUSED DRUGS AROUND WORLD

Drugs such as crystal methamphetamine are second only to marijuana in
use worldwide, an addictions conference in Kamloops was told Friday.

Amphetamines and methamphetamines are more abused than heroine and
cocaine combined, said Dr. Ian Martin, a Vancouver family practitioner
who also works with the Three Bridges Community Health Centre and the
Dusk to Dawn youth drop-in centre.

In fact, he said, 40.4 million people use amphetamines or
methamphetamines every year.

The result is rising hospital admissions and possibly deaths related
to such easily accessible drugs as crystal meth, he said to about 300
people at Let's Talk About Addictions at UCC.

Deaths from the drugs ran at about four in 2000 and 20 in
2004.

He cited other studies that show 67.5 per cent of street youth have
used crystal meth, along with about four per cent of high school students.

St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver gets five to seven admissions every
week of patients who are psychotic from crystal meth use.

Smoking is the most common way of ingesting the drug, Martin
said.

"It's a super-fast route of delivery of any drug," he explained,
noting the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS or hepatitis C is reduced, but
it's a highly addictive means.

Users also snort, inject or 'parachute' the drug by wrapping it in
rolling paper and swallowing it so it doesn't irritate their mouth and
throat. Some use it anally and some even put it in their coffee, he
said.

What users get out of crystal meth is euphoria, focus, an ability to
stay awake for hours, energy, appetite suppression and enhanced
experiences.

"It's very much a hypersexual drug," said Martin.

But the longer someone uses crystal meth, the more problems that come
with its use. The physician said it can lead to heart attack,
insomnia, seizures, teeth grinding, movement disorders (jerky
movement), memory problems, changes in the heart and alterations
within the brain.

Psychologically, crystal meth use quickly turns to addiction and
dependency, and users develop suspiciousness, paranoid psychoses,
skin-picking disorders, hallucinations, compulsions for doodling or
cleaning, poor memory, depression, potential for violence, lung
problems and tooth grinding.

"I've had patients who've had all their teeth removed by 21 or
22."

Five to 15 per cent of those who develop psychoses fail to recover
completely, while others suffer from flashbacks triggered by stress,
he said.

He compared cocaine and crystal meth as follows:

* Cocaine is plant derived, lasts 20 to 30 minutes, isn't toxic to
the brain and is expensive (as much as $1,000 a day).

* Crystal meth is manmade and dangerous, lasts eight to 24 hours,
damages dopomine-related transporters in the brain and is a 'cheap'
drug at $10 to $15 a day.

It's the fact that crystal meth is so cheap that makes addicts
high-functioning for a long period of time, whereas the cocaine addict
quickly spins out of control because of the costs incurred with the
addiction, Martin said.

Signs of crystal meth addiction vary from person to person, but they
can show signs similar to attention deficient disorder in an inability
to focus or pay attention. They may also have sores or lesions and
lack sleep as a result of staying up for days at a time.