B.C.'S 'TREMENDOUS ABUSE PROBLEM' IS COMING NORTH

As the use of crystal meth, meth and speed rises in Vancouver, RCMP in
Whitehorse are preparing to deal with these drugs up north. "It will get
here," Wayne Jeffery, a forensic drug consultant based in Vancouver, said
in a recent interview.

"In Vancouver, there's a tremendous abuse problem, and it's getting to the
smaller communities and is proceeding north."

Jeffery was in Whitehorse last month to teach professionals -- such as
teachers, nurses and ambulance workers -- about speed and crystal meth,
also known as methamphetamine, because they'll likely be the people having
to deal with the drug.

Jeffery said Whitehorse has a good chance of averting a major
methamphetamine problem now through education, as the drug is not in major
use yet.

Methamphetamine has always been around in Whitehorse, said Cpl. Peter
Greenlaw, who works in the Yukon's RCMP drug awareness department.

"I came to the Yukon in '86, and there were small amounts of speed here and
there," said Greenlaw. "It sort of comes and goes."

Typical users of methamphetamine are both males and females, aged 16 to 30.

"Those are the major abusers right now," said Jeffery.

The effects of methamphetamine usually last 12 to 18 hours -- almost three
times as long as cocaine -- a drug that offers very similar effects.

Women are more likely to use methamphetamine than coke.

"They take it (meth) initially for the euphoric effects. They become
energetic. They become very sexually sensual," said Jeffery.

But the good feeling wears off and the person starts to feel hyper,
anxious, paranoid and agitated. The person loses his or her ability to
concentrate, and hallucinations can occur.

"They can't sit down. They've always have to be doing something. Their
pupils are dilated and there are burns on their fingers from the pipe,"
said Jeffery.

Someone on a methamphetamine binge may not sleep for three to 15 days. That
can make the person extremely irritable and paranoid, meaning he or she
could react violently.

Such drug use has led to numerous murders and suicides.

Physically, a person's heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature will
rise when using the drug, said Jeffery -- something that can lead to heart
attacks and death.

"We've had 13 deaths this year in Vancouver," said Jeffery.

In the last four years, there have been 36 deaths that resulted from
methamphetamine use.

Jeffery said hyperactivity and extreme talkativeness and weight loss are
some of the key signs that someone is on the drug.

After this "stimulation phase", there is a three-to five-day period of
exhaustion where drowsiness and fatigue set in.

Typically, methamphetamine is smoked, but it can also be taken orally or be
injected into one's veins.

Peter Greenlaw says if parents suspect their child is using
methamphetamine, they should contact alcohol and drug services personnel,
as meth is highly-addictive.

It's quickly becoming the drug of choice for many adults and youth who
mistakenly believe it is benign.

Methamphetamine was first used as a diet pill in 1927. It began to be used
more widely from 1930 to 1960. That year, its use declined, as cocaine
usage increased.

It wouldn't be until the '90s that its popularity picked up again.

"There hasn't been any increase in the Yukon. But we see the increase in
Alberta and B.C. This is just a little preparation," Greenlaw said about
Jeffery's educational talks.

Jeffery says it's hard to put a number on how much the drug's use has
picked up down south.

"But we're certainly seeing more and more cases going to court and more
laboratories seized," he said.

The manufacture of methamphetamine is extremely hazardous, noted Jeffery.

"The police find 50 per cent of the laboratories through fire and
explosion," he said.

Meth lab cleanups can cost up to $150,000, because every pound of
methamphetamine leaves behind five to six pounds of toxic waste.

Methamphetamine can be made from the following ingredients: drain cleaner,
charcoal, aluminum foil, camping fuel, ammonia, vinegar, brake cleaner,
starting fluid, paint thinner, pumice foot stones, cooking oil, cream of
tarter, fibreglass resin, grain alcohol, ethyl alcohol, hydrogen chloride,
iodine, lye and methanol.

The average "meth cook" annually teaches 10 others how to make the drug.

The drugs come in tablets, capsules and powders.The tablets, usually
weighing in at 100 to 300 milligrams, come in various sizes, colours and
shapes. Methamphetamine in the powder form is usually white or transparent,
but may also be yellow or brown, depending on how it's manufactured.

Occasional users may only use 60 to 100 milligrams of the drug a day,
whereas chronic users take one to 1.5 grams a day.

In general, Greenlaw described Whitehorse's drug scene as a fairly steady
and constant problem.

"There's certainly communities better off than Whitehorse, but there are
certainly communities that are a lot worse. We're not the downtown east
side of Vancouver by any means," said Greenlaw.