SPECIAL REPORT: THE DARK SIDE OF CRYSTAL METH

At the age of 18, Jerry decided he wanted to try every drug at least
once.

He started with alcohol, pot and cocaine.

Then he found crystal meth.

"I remember thinking it was the best thing ever," said the Langley
man. "I could talk and talk and talk - it was so cheap and a big bang
for your buck."

Within a year, Jerry (not his real name) was using every day, and
spending much of his free time at a "gack house" (meth users'
equivalent of a crack cocaine house). He became a driver for dealers
in return for free drugs and eventually turned to crime to support his
habit.

Today he's a tall, stocky man, smartly dressed in black jeans and
T-shirt, with short dark hair and a contagious laugh. But just four
years ago he was pale and gaunt, having dropped 30 pounds in just a
few weeks.

And then there was the paranoia.

He became convinced people wanted to kill him. He thought mini-cameras
had been set up in his car and at his home. Once he filled a can with
gasoline and was ready to fight back by burning his enemies and their
homes.

He needed help, and he knew it.

"The day I asked mom to bring me to the doctor I told her Regis and
Kathy-Lee (from the TV show) had been making fun of me for an hour,"
said Jerry. "I was just gone - crazy."

Jerry is one of the lucky ones - he broke free. But thousands of
other, mostly young users remain in the vicious dance of highs, lows
and crashes that can end in permanent brain damage.

Known on the street as crystal meth, crank, glass or zip,
methamphetamine is a powerful drug that releases high levels of
chemicals into areas of the brain that regulate feelings of pleasure.
It increases wakefulness and physical activity, and decreases appetite.

Meth comes in many forms and can be snorted, swallowed, injected or
smoked.

Crystal meth is cheap. A "point" (0.1 grams) of the drug costs under
$20 and the high lasts for hours. Users - commonly between the ages of
12 to 18 - can maintain a habit for as little as $5 a day.

Because the effects of meth last up to three days, during which time
users often don't sleep or eat, it's particularly attractive to
teenage girls who use it for weight control.

In just two years, crystal meth has overtaken cocaine as the third
most popular drug (after alcohol and marijuana) in the Fraser Health
Authority (FHA).

"We've seen an increase right across Fraser Health and in fact
provincially in the use of crystal meth, particularly in youth. It's a
very dangerous drug," said Sherry Mumford, addictions leader for the
FHA.

"We're seeing an increasing number of people coming into addiction
clinics telling workers crystal meth is their drug of choice."

In fact, between 16 and 20 per cent of the people seeking help say
crystal meth is one of the drugs they're using, if not the only one,
with the numbers being higher in younger people than older.

A 2002 survey of close to 2,000 students in the Lower Mainland found
19 per cent had tried crystal meth. The same study found the average
age for first use of the drug was just over 14. Most could obtain it
in under 24 hours.

Annette Welsh, director of The Front Room, a drop-in homeless shelter
in Whalley, has seen a marked increase in the use of methamphetamine
among the homeless and transient.

"Crystal meth is everywhere now - a lot of our clients use it," said
Welsh. "Like crack, it becomes a mental addiction."

Dave knows all about the attraction of meth. A 28-year-old, handsome
and articulate young man with intense blue eyes, he's been hanging out
at the Front Room for a year, and is self-professed speed junkie.

"I use it to be more social," said Dave. "It makes it easier for me."
He used to do cocaine but gave it up for crystal meth because he can
stay high on it for about $15 a day. Coke was costing him $250.

Dave knows the risks. Methamphetamine is exceptionally toxic. High
doses can elevate body temperature to dangerous, even lethal levels,
and can cause convulsions.

When long-term users - "tweakers" - try to kick the drug, they often
experience depression, confusion, fatigue and aggression. And that
makes getting off crystal meth extremely difficult.

"It takes longer for their heads to clear - 30 days at least," said Ed
Warnke, managing director for the Launching Pad, the South Surrey
addictions recovery house where Jerry was treated.

"Then the nightmares start. The weird thing is, they share the same
type of nightmares - bloodthirsty."

Many addicts learn to make the drug themselves. Some begin taking the
ingredients without mixing them.

"They try using them separately, like ammonia, because it's part of
crystal meth," said Warnke. "I've had to rush people to the hospital
more than once."

He's also noticed crystal meth affects mental capacity more than other
drugs.

"I've talked to people with a mental illness that have clearer
thoughts than them," he said.

There is a unique danger in using crystal meth because it leads to
psychosis in some users. This can take the form of paranoia,
hallucinations and delusions, which in turn can lead to homicidal and
suicidal thoughts.

Dr. Bill MacEwan, a psychiatrist with FHA's Early Psychosis
Intervention program, treats drug-induced psychosis in crystal meth
users.

It's not just street kids and transient adults using crystal meth,
says MacEwan.

It's become popular with suburban kids who live at home, come from
good families, attend school and wouldn't be pegged as drug users.

"It's really terrifying. It's a highly addictive substance," said
MacEwan.

"And when it grabs these kids, it's really hard for them to get away
from it."

Some of his patients continue showing symptoms of psychosis three
years after quitting meth.

Studies suggest the damage, in some cases, is permanent. "It's
stressing the person's brain to the point where not only do they have
psychosis while they are using the drug, but it persists afterwards,"
said MacEwan. Treatment includes counseling and the use of
anti-psychotic medications.

For many, recovery is a long road.

As for Jerry, he's been clean for 18 months. Today he counsels kids in
Grades 10 to 12 about the dangers of crystal meth. And the voices that
were in his head? "On a bad day, they're still there," he said. "But
now I don't run with it." 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 will have its first meeting this month - there is no
set end date.