KEEP FOCUS ON EXISTING DRUG ISSUES

IT'S the latest hottest drug scare and Graeme Pearson, the head of
the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, recently warned that
crystal meth could soon be heading for Scotland.

It does seem inevitable that sooner or later Edinburgh will be
touched by crystal meth as it has become an epidemic in some parts of
the US and Europe and is a big problem in Australia.

Because drug trends tend to follow fashions and it's a worldwide
trade, crystal meth is bound to appear here.

Crystal meth - or to know it by its full title, crystal
methylamphetamine - acts on the brain as a stimulant and brings
intense feelings of exhilaration, arousal and increased activity
levels. It makes people feel more awake and it suppresses appetite.
Often called "ice" because of its appearance, users will also call
crystal meth "glass" or "yaba".

Of course, for every high, there's a low and the effect of this
incredibly addictive substance is horrific on long-term users who
take on a skeletal, "prison camp" appearance, suffer premature aging,
chronic sleeplessness and skin lesions. If overused, crystal meth
also brings on paranoia, short-term memory loss, wild rages and mood
swings as well as damage to the immune system. Lastly, overdose can
lead to respiratory collapse, coma and death - indeed, people have
died taking fairly small doses.

In short, it's deadly stuff, reckoned by some to be far more
dangerous and more addictive than crack cocaine or heroin. In the US,
there are an incredible 12 million people addicted to crystal meth.

So, should we panic? No, I don't think so because, despite warnings
over the past three years, crystal meth still hasn't arrived in
quantity and might never make the impact here it has in other
countries. Why? Well, for a start, there is already a very
established drug market here with cannabis, cocaine and heroin and
the price of these drugs has never been lower or the availability
higher. Drug use, like all consumer activity, is a matter of choice
and habit. It could take a long time for a new commodity to break
into an already saturated market. However, we should be watchful for
the emergence of crystal meth, especially in quantity.

But let's not be distracted; our main problem drug in Scotland
remains heroin, with cocaine fast catching up. Cannabis is still
readily available in variants more powerful than ever and, of course,
all that is washed down with Scotland's most deadly drug - alcohol.

It is these problems that require urgent action first with long-term
and consistent strategies driven by public health priorities which
include enforcement, treatment, rehabilitation and, most importantly,
information and awareness. Only this will lead to a reduction in
demand and avoidance of the problem in the first place.

Crystal meth is undoubtedly an emerging threat and needs to be
watched but our priority must be problems on the doorstep right now.

Tom Wood is the chairman of the Scottish Association of Alcohol and
Drugs Action Teams