THE FIGHT AGAINST A KILLER: CRYSTAL METH IN SOUTHERN
SASKATCHEWAN

Part 1 of a Series on a Deadly New Threat to Society

Although no operational crystal meth labs have been found in the
southeast part of the province, many have been found to the south of
the US border, and officers are receiving intelligence that the deadly
drug is indeed in production in the southeast corner.

Sgt. Dave Henry of the RCMP Integrated Drug Unit said, during a recent
interview, that this highly addictive drug has the distinction of
being able to be manufactured in a number of very portable and
unobtrusive locations -- however it also has what he called the "flip
side" aspect of being a very explosive and unstable drug during
processing, making it a danger to law enforcement officers
investigating it.

Henry said that "clandestine labs" are usually found after a fire or
explosion has already happened, and that people involved in its
manufacture may be injured either from the explosion or from poison
gases created.

"Safety is a concern," Sgt. Henry said of the labs.

"The Integrated Drug Units are trained and equipped to enter these
sites. General duty officers have an awareness of what a lab is, if
they should stumble across one."

He added that if a suspected lab is found during the course of an
investigation by general duty officers, the location is secured and
held until the arrival of the drug squad.

The strong and often corrosive chemicals used to extract the
methamphetamine from its source require prudence and expertise in
handling, and meth labs which contain these don't bother to label the
chemicals as hazardous, so officers investigating a lab deal with
unmarked containers of various deadly compounds.

Even touching a counter top or picking up a child's toy in a meth lab
may have severe health consequences, since the production of the drug
creates toxic gases which leave deposits throughout the area, as well
as poisonous byproducts which must be disposed of somehow. Since meth
producers are most often using the drug themselves, it is more likely
that the poisonous chemicals produced are forgotten, left out in the
open after the drug is used and the `high' achieved, or they may be
disposed of down drains or toilets, creating a highly hazardous
environment for those living in the home or the home's future owners.

Reports have been cited of officers and emergency rescue workers in
the US experiencing symptoms similar to a "meth high" after entering a
lab, and either breathing fumes or touching items with bare hands.

Because the residue requires an intensive cleanup, some states in the
US which have faced a high incidence of labs have instituted laws that
any home or apartment found to be a lab must have this fact attached
to the home's property title.

"What you are seeing there is people have historically set up
clandestine labs in remote areas, and now in the western states these
very portable labs are being set up in apartments. When they're
dismantled, often in a hurry, sometimes no attempt is made to clean it
up. The landlord may have no knowledge that it needs a haz-mat
cleanup. Then the next renter comes into contact with the residue, and
there's a problem," Sgt. Henry said.

As yet, this potential problem hasn't caused any similar legislation
in Saskatchewan that Sgt. Henry is aware of. Crystal meth is a
different version of methamphetamines, which have been around since
the turn of the century -- but this new methamphetamine is a much
deadlier version, more potent, longer lasting, more debilitating and
more destructive, both to property and people.

Because methamphetamines in their earlier recognized forms were less
potent than crystal meth, the drug class is rated lower on the
judicial system's drug rating system than crack cocaine or heroin,
although its effects are as deadly, or even more so, than those.

Schedule I drugs are those with the greatest potential for abuse, an
absence of medical use, and are dangerous to the user even under
medical supervision. Opium and cocaine are schedule I drugs. Schedule
II drugs have a strong potential for abuse and intense physical or
psychological addiction, but also a currently accepted medical use in
some way. Cannabis, either as resin or in marijuana form, is a
schedule II drug. Schedule III drugs are those with less potential for
abuse and addiction, and have some accepted medical use. Amphetamines
and methamphetamines are among those drugs currently classed in
schedule III.

"Would we like to see the class of these drugs change [to a more
serious category]? It's something that legislators are going to have
to deal with," Sgt. Henry said.

Meanwhile, officers continue to receive information and look for these
labs, in hope of stemming the potential rise in crystal meth use.

"We're doing as we normally do, enforcing the drug laws and trying to
prevent people from using them," he added.

He cited education and media awareness as important factors in the
fight against drugs. The third urgent factor Sgt. Henry said must come
into play is that parents must talk to their children, to make them
aware exactly how deadly this and other drugs are.

"I think that this drug particularly, and how deadly and easy to make
it is, tells parents that you've got to be involved even more in your
kids' lives than you ever were before.

"Parents need to look at what they're doing in their lives that
influence children, and they need to establish trust so they can talk
to their kids. You can start by talking to them. Kids still make
choices but adults have a tremendous influence on kids, more so than
you think. Talk to them, and listen to them."

Next Week: An Addiction Officer Speaks Out on Crystal Meth's Highly
Addictive Aspect, and Its Effect on Users.