METH FACTS

Symptoms and signs your family member, co-worker or friend could being
using crystal meth:

* Losing a significant amount of weight, especially in a short period
of time

* Talking fast, unusual stamina, staying awake for
days

* Severe mood slumps - users are withdrawn, unhappy and
anxious

* Paranoid behaviour, hearing voices, perceiving non-existent threats
from others

* Regularly staying at parties and raves until the early morning
hours

Getting help:

* Narcotics Anonymous (Greater Vancouver) 604-873-1018

* Launching Pad Recovery Society 604-536-3022

* Mental Health Crisis Line 604-951-8855

* The Front Room 604-589-7777

* Surrey Community Services 604-584-5811

* Early Psychosis Intervention Program 604-538-4278

Crystal meth and crime:

Crystal meth is associated with a host of criminal activities,
including theft, assault and the illegal production of the drug.

Some community members believe there has been an increase in petty
crime associated with crystal meth in the Lower Mainland.

A recently released study on auto crime in Surrey found that at least
70 per cent of Surrey auto thieves are chronic methamphetamine users.
Police believe many offenders are replacing cocaine and heroin with
meth.

Scott Rintoul works with the RCMP drug awareness section, and has
studied the drug scene in the Lower Mainland for six years. "We know
now methamphetamine is everywhere," said Rintoul, adding it has gone
from being a social drug (used at raves and clubs) to one affecting
the homeless, students and blue collar workers.

Termed the "working man's cocaine," meth is popular with shift workers
because it gives them energy and stamina.

Meanwhile, meth labs are a spin-off problem. Dozens of operations are
busted every year in B.C. Most are in the Lower Mainland, said
Rintoul. Labs can be built and abandoned quickly, and can be assembled
in homes, hotel rooms, garages and even the back seats of cars. A
homemade lab can produce large quantities of the drug in just a few
hours.

Because the chemicals used to produce meth are so volatile (including
ammonia, battery acid and paint thinner), crude labs present an
increased risk of fires and explosions.

"Labs put all those close to that residence at risk," said Rintoul.
"And it puts those who live in the residence at risk - especially children."

FHA crystal meth task force:

The FHA has formed a task force concerning crystal
meth.

The goal is to get the message out about how to identify meth users
and how to help them.

The group will study intervention and treatment programs in other
health authorities and learn from their initiatives.

There are no programs specific to crystal meth in the FHA, although
there are addiction recovery services that help with meth and other
addictions.

The task force had its first meeting mid-March - there is no set end
date. Once it has more information the task force will release its
findings and make recommendations to the FHA.

Amphetamines - the basics:

Amphetamines were first synthesized in the late 1800s. By the 1930s,
they were used in medications such as nasal sprays and diet pills.
They were also used to treat narcolepsy, a sleeping disorder in which
sufferers fall asleep without warning.

Amphetamines are psychostimulants (commonly known as speed) that
affect the central nervous system. They include laevoamphetamine
(Benzedrine), dextroamphetamine (Dexe-drine), and methamphetamine
(Methedrine).

Amphetamines were widely used during WWII, when they were given to
both Allied and Axis troops to keep them awake and improve their
combat performance. The drug was especially popular among pilots,
keeping them awake during long flights.

There have been several surges in the illegal use of methamphetamine,
or crystal meth. The most recent increase began in the southwestern
U.S. in the 1990s and has been steadily moving north.