HIGHEST METH ABUSE IN B.C.

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.

This week, Victoria 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.

Victoria's figures suggest 934 people in the FHA sought help for
amphetamine use in 2001, 825 in 2002 and 766 in 2003. 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."

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 can be snorted, swallowed, injected or smoked. It's
cheap to buy and easy to make.

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, Whalley, parts of Langley and pockets in
the Tri-Cities area.

This week, 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 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 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 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.

Overdose deaths attributed to methamphetamine use have been steadily
increasing province-wide, from two deaths reported in 2000 to 12
mortalities last year and six in the first five months of 2004.

High doses can elevate body temperature to lethal levels, and can
cause convulsions.

There is a unique danger in using crystal meth because it leads to
prolonged psychosis - sometimes permanent - in some users. This can
take the form of paranoia, hallucinations and delusions, which in turn
can lead to homicidal and suicidal thoughts.