DRUG CRANKS UP HEALTH CONCERNS

More people have sought help for amphetamine abuse in the last five years in
the Fraser Health Authority (FHA) than any other region in B.C., according
to a provincial report.

Methamphetamine - known on the street as crystal meth, crank, glass or zip -
is the strongest amphetamine and the one causing serious concerns in the
Lower Mainland.

One health official estimates that up to 20 per cent of drug abusers are
hooked on meth, with an increasing number of young women in the clutches of
the drug.

Victoria recently announced a new strategy to deal with the potentially
deadly drug.

In just two years, crystal meth has overtaken cocaine as the third most
popular drug (after alcohol and marijuana) in the FHA.

The report, released this week, revealed that the use and related deaths
from this toxic drug are increasing, and the number of people who seek help
for addictions to amphetamines in B.C. has climbed - from four per cent of
those seeking help for addictions five years ago to 11 per cent today.

Every year since 1999, the FHA has had higher numbers of people seeking help
from community addictions workers for amphetamine abuse than any other
health authority in B.C., the report indicates.

Addictions leader Sherry Mumford said the FHA is the largest health region
in the province (serving 1.44 million people) and has the highest percentage
of youth in B.C.

"You would expect numbers to be comparatively higher here," she said.

The overall numbers for amphetamine abuse in the FHA are probably comparable
to the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, she said.

Mumford said addictions workers in the FHA have seen an increase in drug
users seeking help for crystal meth abuse - she estimates up to 20 per cent
of clients are using meth, more than provincial numbers suggest.

She said street youth, the gay and lesbian population, rave participants and
women of child-bearing age have been identified as potential high-risk
groups.

"Women, especially young women, are certainly a high-risk population,
specifically because of crystal meth's ability to curb the appetite for
weight loss. Certainly, women are starting to come to the forefront of what
you would call meth users."

Methamphetamine releases a rush of chemicals into areas of the brain that
control feelings of pleasure. It increases wakefulness and physical activity
and decreases appetite.

It can be snorted, swallowed, injected or smoked. It's cheap to buy and easy
to make using over-the-counter ingredients in at-home labs and by organized
crime groups.

While no one municipality in the FHA stands out as a hotbed of crystal meth
use, Mumford said certain areas do have more problems with the drug,
including Fraser East (Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Hope, Mission), Whalley,
parts of Langley and pockets in the Tri-Cities area.

The provincial government unveiled a new strategy to combat crystal meth
addiction, promising to inform the public, make communities safer, identify
high-risk populations, reduce harm and increase the skills of service
providers.

B.C. Minister of State for Mental Health and Addiction Services Susan Brice
said initial discussions have begun with retailers and pharmacies to limit
access to medications that can be used in at-home labs to produce crystal
meth.

Pharmacists and several large retail outlets in Alberta recently placed cold
medications containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine behind the counter to
better control and monitor the sale of these products.

Victoria also plans to implement an education program for women of
child-bearing age. There is concern pregnant women who use crystal meth may
unknowingly harm their unborn children, Brice said.

Elementary and secondary high schools will also step up education programs
directed at preventing drug use.

A recent survey of more than 30,000 B.C. students found about four per cent
had used amphetamines. However, authorities believe the drug is far more
problematic in street youth than in those who live at home and attend school
regularly.

Overall, the strategy aims to integrate services between the province's
health authorities, the police, the justice system and the community.

As for crystal meth use in the FHA, Mumford says, "I think it will
eventually wane, but it won't be without its casualties."