DRUG ABUSERS 'CHASING THE HIGH'

Cocaine, crystal meth and heroin are the most prominent drugs Kamloops
RCMP encounter as they combat narcotics in the city.

Const. Dan Thorne, a member of the Mounties' drug squad, laid out the
facts to 50 people who gathered at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help
parish centre on Tranquille Road Monday night.

Thorne, a nine-year veteran of the squad, was on hand to provide the
group with information on drug trends, identifying drug houses and
proactive and reactive approaches to drug activity.

Cocaine and its purer off-shoot crack cocaine are highly addictive
drugs that attack the central nervous system creating a feeling of
euphoria in the user, he said.

While meth causes a longer lasting high, the euphoric sensation
cocaine creates wears off quickly. Once the high is gone, the urge for
another hit becomes overpowering.

"Once you take crack, you're chasing the high all the time. You're
always looking for the euphoria. It's an endless search,"said Thorne.

This search often leads users to a life of crime.

"If you don't have a job and you have a $200 a day habit you spend
your day hustling for money," he said.

Meth is popular because it's easy to manufacture and cheap to buy, he
said. However, chronic use causes severe and permanent brain damage.

Heroin produces a long-lasting high - six to eight hours - and is
expensive, said Thorne.

"There is definitely a subculture here. Users are able to function in
their normal life. I've met heroine users who are in their 50s. You
don't see that with cocaine."

The best weapon police have is the public, he said.

"Drug enforcement in Kamloops is intelligence based. Ninety-eight per
cent of our arrests originate from public tips."

Residents need to take note of suspicious activity, document when it
happens and report it to police, he said.

Const. Jane Price said the information Thorne gave was just the tip of
the iceberg. She asked people to make themselves as educated as possible.

"Become more aware and informed. You are the voice of the community,"
she said. "You can make a difference."

Darlene Smith, a North Shore resident, said she was pleased with the
evenings turnout but wished more people had been in attendance.

"I've been to the other meetings and have seen who's there,"she said.

"Drugs aren't just a North Shore problem. It's all over Kamloops."

Monday's meeting was the third in a series of five safer neighbourhood
lectures hosted by the Kamloops RCMP's community policing section.

The next session, business watch, takes place at the parish centre
Feb. 7.