METH CRISIS FOCUS OF B.C. SUMMIT

VANCOUVER - Ice, jib, glass or speed, whatever street name it may
take, experts agree the highly addictive drug crystal meth is a
terrifying problem in North America

Now, hundreds of those experts are converging on Vancouver this week
for a conference to address the escalating crystal meth crisis. More
than 250 delegates, healthcare workers, police and social service
providers are meeting for the first Western Summit on
Methamphetamine

"This is quite a milestone and accomplishment," said Kathleen Butler,
spokeswoman for Vancouver Coastal Health, one of the sponsors of the
event. "It's the first time ever that stakeholders from across Western
Canada are meeting to look at this and develop an approach." Butler
said it's a serious problem. Dubbed the Dark Crystal by many, the drug
can be bought for as cheap as $5 a hit and the effects can last for
days, keeping users awake and sleep-deprived

But even more unsettling is the slew of over-the-counter chemicals the
synthetic stimulant --increasingly popular with high school youth-can
be made from. Battery acid, brake fluid, floorstripper and flammable
retardants found in fireworks are just a few of the ready-made
products that make up the glass-like shards that users usually smoke
or snort

"It's so addictive," said Rob Morgan, a spokesman for the Vancouver
Area Network of Drug Users. Morgan has tried crystal meth himself

"It scared the hell out of me." Morgan recalled Sunday how he has
watched friends of his who live in Vancouver's drug-ridden Downtown
Eastside destroy their lives because of the vile drug. He said one of
his friends now talks to herself

"She's not all there, you know, mentally," he said in a telephone
interview from Victoria

"She was a really nice person and it's really sad." VANDU will have a
crystal meth committee attending the conference to address the problem
of addiction, Morgan said

The drug first became popular in the rave scene, but has spread to
mainstream use across social strata, from high school youth to
professionals, according to the city's Methamphetamine Response Committee

MARC is comprised of community and civic agencies in
Vancouver

The dangers of jib include elevated blood pressure and risk of stroke.
Symptoms include anxiety, depression, mental confusion, and violence.
Long-term use may lead to permanent psychotic symptoms

The results of the summit will be used in a guidance document that
will show communities how they can best tackle the problems of use and
production

Delegates will focus on five key questions ranging on issues from
health solutions to law enforcement concerns

The summit is jointly funded by the B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, and
Manitoba governments

Okanagan band chiefs in B.C.'s Interior have forged a partnership in
their war against drug dealers living on reserve in the wake of a
shooting they believe may have involved crystal meth

First Nations leaders and social workers formed the group after the
Oct. 30 shooting on the Penticton Indian reserve that left three men
dead and another three injured

The leaders are convinced the drug played a significant role. "That's
the dangers of it, it can really screw up your life," said Morgan.