DRUG WILL 'CONTROL YOU'

It's used by women to lose weight, low-income residents to escape poverty
and university students to cram for exams, police say. It's known as meth,
crystal, speed, glass, ice and peanut butter. But no matter what you call
it, methamphetamine is one dangerous drug.

"Methamphetamine is so addictive that when people start taking it, they
don't want to take anything else. It's far more potent than cocaine and
crack cocaine," said Winnipeg police Sgt. Bill Stewart.

And city cops are seeing plenty more of it every day.

"There's meth on the street and our undercover officers are able to buy
methamphetamine fairly easily," said Winnipeg police patrol Sgt. Mark
Pruden. "I would say it's on the rise."

Besides being more potent, it's also a better bang for your buck compared
with coke.

For about $20, you can by a point (10th of a gram). A point, in the form of
crystals usually stored in a jewelry bag, gives you three hits that'll "keep
you high all day," Stewart said.

Compare that with a quarter gram of powdered cocaine, which sells for $20
and offers a high for 20-30 minutes. Or $40 of crack cocaine, which offers a
five-minute high.

Stewart recalls the saying: "When you're on meth, you check your humanity
card at the door."

Meth users often end up stealing money and items to pawn before graduating
to purse snatchings and armed robberies.

"Their whole day is consumed with getting high, being high or getting the
money to get high," Stewart said. "It controls you."