CRYSTAL METH USE SOARING IN B.C.

VANCOUVER - Ice. Jib. Chrissy. Crank. Tina. Tweak.

It doesn't matter what their patients call it, doctors in British
Columbia's street youth clinics say they're hearing more about crystal
methamphetamine these days. Use of the synthetic stimulant is definitely on
the rise--more rapidly among street youth, but also in high schools across
the province.

"Sixty-eight per cent of the street youth we surveyed reported using
crystal meth," said Dr. Ian Martin, a family physician at the Three Bridges
Community Health Centre in Vancouver, considered to be the province's
epicentre of crystal meth resources for street youth. The survey of
approximately 200 street youth was conducted last year in Vancouver. "It's
a fairly significant health problem."

"We're noticing it more, particularly in the last six months," said Dr.
Doug McGhee, a family physician at Victoria Youth Clinic. Admissions for
crystal meth at the local youth detox rose from 17 in 2000, to 117 this
year. "It's replacing heroin, cocaine and all the other stuff as the drug
of choice. The average age at admission is 16."

A 2002 survey of suburban teens in the Upper Fraser Valley revealed "18.7%
of those kids had used crystal meth," Dr. McGhee added. "The average age of
first use was 14.5 years--that's Grade 9."

Statistical trends indicate B.C. is just behind the U.S. in terms of drug
use. In that case, crystal meth use is still in its infancy on Canada's
west coast. Last year, the RCMP raided 40 crystal meth labs in the
province. In 2002, state police in neighbouring Washington discovered more
than 1,400 labs there.

Even more disturbing is that users don't need a "lab" to make crystal meth.
It can be made at home with ingredients purchased in local hardware stores
or pharmacies: iodine, pseudoephedrine and red phosphorus, as well as camp
stove fuel, muriatic acid, acetone, methanol or denatured alcohol, lye or
drain cleaner. Recipes for the toxic concoction are available to any
computer-savvy kid simply by entering "crystal meth recipe" into an
Internet search engine.A

Crystal meth appeals to cash-strapped users because it's cheap--a $10 hit
can last anywhere from five to 48 hours; a binge can last up to 12 days.
For street youth, that's cheaper than buying food or renting a place to
sleep. The low price also means dealers will give away samples of the
highly addictive drug for free. For many teenage girls, the most seductive
factor is that they think meth will make them lose weight.

Crystal meth is not just a West Coast problem. It first showed up in Canada
in the Vancouver region in the late 1980s, but a 1999 Ontario Student Drug
Survey revealed 8.4% of Grade 12 students had used the drug.

Unfortunately, many practitioners across Canada don't realize how
widespread use is. "Doctors aren't aware they're seeing it. It's being used
by younger and younger kids with profound psychiatric complications," Dr.
McGhee said.

Unlike crack cocaine, the effects of crystal meth are primarily psychotic
rather than physical. Some users present with extreme depression or
anxiety, while others experience formication (a sensation of bugs crawling
on their skin) or parasitosis (feeling like bugs are under their skin).

"Some street youth come in thinking they have head lice or scabies," Dr.
Martin said. Others present to the ER with suicidal tendencies, psychosis
or paranoia. Many become violent.

Advice for physicians

"Treatment is difficult because it's a stimulant drug," said Dr. McGhee.
"It's also being used by young people who are more difficult to engage in
treatment."

Regular use can also lead to tolerance and dependence, according to a
pamphlet published by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.

There is only one Crystal Meth Anonymous in Canada and it's in Vancouver.
Doctors can refer their patients to youth detox centres.

Last year, Dr. McGhee directed and co-produced a 22-minute video, Reduce
Speed: A Film about Crystal Meth. He gave disposable cameras to five former
users ages 16 to 23 and asked them to take pictures of what crystal meth
meant to them. They were then interviewed anonymously on camera while
discussing their photographs and what the images represented. "The kids
were very proud of it," said Dr. McGhee. Since then, he's shown the video
to many high-risk youth who were "very moved by it."

In conjunction with the Vancouver Island Health Authorities, he has made
the film free to schools who want to show it. "It's a catalyst for dialogue."

Next on the list of his educational projects is a street-level "zine," a
comic book about crystal meth for street youth.

Dr. McGhee's video, "Reduce Speed: A Film about Crystal Meth," is available
for $39.95 (free for schools). Call (250) 370-8204 or e-mail
helen.thorne@caphealth.org.

Crystal Meth Anonymous can be reached at (604) 633-4242.