CHEMISTRY LESSON

Re: "Crystal clear," Calvin White, Opinion, April 19.

I would like to congratulate Calvin White for recognizing that not all
drugs are equal in danger. He rightly points out that the psychedelics
used in the 1960s and 1970s are far less dangerous than
methamphetamine. Mushrooms or acid are not physically addictive, nor
do they cause toxic damage. On the other hand, meth is addictive and
damaging to the body. However, White also states that "methamphetamine
is crystalline and the crystals do not break down in the body," saying
that the crystals emerge through skin lacerations or boils. This is
wrong.

Methamphetamine is a phenalkylamine, and it is rapidly broken down by
monoamine oxidase enzymes in the body. Methamphetamine stays in the
blood for four to six hours, and can be detected in urine for 48
hours. After this time, all meth in the body has been broken down into
other metabolites. There are no crystals of meth floating around in
the blood until they work their way out of the skin.

Patrick Kooyman

Calgary