PROVINCE HAS PLAN FOR BATTLE WITH METH

The widespread use of crystal meth has caught the attention of the B.C.
government who this week announced a province-wide plan aimed at combating
the drug on a number of fronts.

The release of the integrated strategy comes on the heels of a meeting in
Maple Ridge last week where a community-driven attack on the drug was launched.

Susan Brice, the province's minister of state for mental health and
addiction services told The TIMES Wednesday six provincial ministries will
work alongside the six health authorities, the police and the justice
system in a unified effort that will share resources and information on the
highly-addictive, easily manufactured drug that studies show is being used
in large part by youths.

"I've heard from so many that this drug is really something that has
communities concerned," Brice said, adding that while crystal meth might
not be the most highly used used drug among youth, its devastating effects
on the brain and body after only minimal use has prompted the government to
take swift action.

"We knew crystal meth should be given a special focus. I believe this
strategy responds to the many calls for factual information and practical
advice that have come to me," the minister said.

The integrated strategy will be broken down into five priorities:

Identifying high-risk members of the population.

Reducing individual harm.

w Building safer communities.

w Increasing the skills of service providers.

w Increased public information.

Minister Brice applauded Maple Ridge's newly launched campaign on crystal
meth and said it's hoped there is room for the provincial and local
campaigns to work together.

"It seems that approach has stood up well for a number of communities. We
hope this document weaves those same themes through it," Brice said.

The first step in dealing with the crystal meth problem, explained Sherry
Mumford, addictions services leader with the Fraser Health Authority, is to
find out exactly what segment of the population is using meth.

That data, she says, is hard to find.

"There's no solid data...yet," said Mumford, who is also chair of the FHA's
crystal meth task force, which formed in May of this year.

Mumford said while specific studies have been done on the drug usage of
high school students it's hard to get a handle on "entrenched" street youth
to determine the level of crystal meth use.

"Unfortunately there's no really good survey ... we're not paying attention
to high risk groups," she said.

The FHA task force is now working with other agencies to try and better
understand what drugs youth living on the fringes of society are using
before embarking on specific plans to try and curb the problem.

"My fear is we'll move forward without understanding the prevalence of the
problem," Mumford said.