DRUG COMPANIES ASKED TO HELP WITH METH ISSUE

Vancouver Burrard Liberal MLA Lorne Mayencourt warns that if pharmaceutical
companies that produce over-the-counter medicines used in creating crystal
meth don't join the fight against the drug, their legal products could face
new restrictions.

Some decongestants, like Claritin, contain pseudoephedrine, which is the key
ingredient used by operators of meth labs.

Mayencourt is part of a provincial government team assessing how to deal
with the crystal meth crisis, including education, setting up a pilot
project to assess treatment options and bringing all players in the problem
together. Mayencourt is talking to the drug companies.

"I'm trying to engage the pharmaceutical companies that produce medicines
that make it really easy to create meth," he said. "They hold a great
responsibility in this. We want them to come to the table with government,
talk about options and get more involved in sending out prevention
messages."

Mayencourt has already contacted one pharmaceutical company, hoping it will
help fund crystal meth prevention and treatment strategies. He would not
reveal its name.

"I had a conversation with one player yesterday and told them that if we
don't get a handle on this, there's going to be a movement to put these
over-the-counter medications behind the pharmacist's wall. They seemed
fairly receptive," Mayencourt said.

Gerry Harrington, spokesman for the Non Prescription Drug Manufacturers
Association of Canada, said the organization hopes to launch a Meth Watch
program in B.C. in September, aimed at educating retail staff to monitor
purchases of over-the-counter drugs containing pseudoephedrine.

Harrington said crystal meth use is spreading like wildfire, especially in
the U.S. and B.C.

"We haven't been approached yet to help with rehabilitation or prevention,
but we accept it's a real problem because we've seen how quickly the problem
has exploded in the U.S.," Harrington said.

Crystal meth or methamphetamine, known as jib or ice on the street, costs $5
a hit, with the high lasting several hours, compared to crack cocaine, which
costs about $10 a hit and lasts less than an hour.

The drug is similar to speed and appeals to women wanting to lose weight and
to young people in the party scene. Crystal meth can also produce psychosis
and is highly addictive.

Jackie Franson, manager of the Salvation Army's Cordova Detox Centre, said
crystal meth addicts started appearing at the centre two and a half years
ago.

"We are definitely seeing it more now, maybe one in every three people that
go through our detox is addicted to meth, and the age of those addicts is
starting to rise," Franson said.

The detox procedure for meth addicts, which lasts up to two weeks, is
difficult, with severe paranoia, anger and psychosis during the first few
days.

Franson said the condition of the addicts is poor, with many severely
dehydrated and covered in scabs.

"They are able to stay up for long, long periods of time and they don't eat
during that time and often don't drink water," she said.

Latest Statistics Canada figures show the number of Canadians using crystal
meth more than doubled between 1994 and 2002, with 1.15 million users in
2002. About 70 per cent of those users were men.

Figures from the B.C. Coroner's office showed the number of methamphetamine
deaths in the province soared from two in 2000 to 12 in 2003.