LOBBYISTS TARGET METH PRODUCERS

Drayton Valley Western Review - Proponents for tighter restrictions on
ingredients used to produce crystal methamphetamine got a show of
support Nov. 26 from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

The FCM's board of directors voted unanimously to make the issue one
of its top lobbying priorities in Ottawa.

Brazeau County Reeve Bart Guyon, a member of the FCM northern forum
committee, says the motion was spearheaded by rural
communities.

"Drugs have, for the most part, been perceived as an urban problem.
This marks the first time that the rurals have made drugs,
specifically meth, a formal issue," he said. "We have become the
shopping grounds for the drug trade in recent years. Our land is so
vast and policing it is a challenge, so we want to give law
enforcement a better chance."

Laws regulating the sale of ingredients used to make crystal meth -
like red phosphorus, acetone, and pseudoephedrin - are on the books in
the United States.

Those laws mean meth producers have turned north over the last few
years with shopping lists in hand. In 2000 alone Canada imported more
than 500,000 kilograms of pseudophedrine, which was a 500 per cent
increase from the year before.

Drayton Valley first raised the issue with a motion passed by town
council early in 2003. Council received national press coverage a
short time later when it looked to the FCM for support.

"It's something we feel strongly about. When you're dealing with
something as dangerous as meth you want to attack the problem from as
many different directions as possible," said Mayor Moe Hamdon. "We
took it to the FCM for their annual meeting but nothing happened. They
assured us it would be addressed within the year and we think it's
great that they've come through."

Brazeau County council supported the town's initiative and Guyon, as a
member of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties
and the FCM, helped push the agenda along.

Cpl. Gord Chammen of the Drayton Valley RCMP says that meth will
continue to be a problem in the region unless the federal government
passes legislation that achieves two goals.

"First we need to cut off the supply. We bust one producer and another
guy steps in immediately to take his place. It's too easy right now,"
he said.

Chammen says the government also has to make it illegal to possess
large amounts of certain ingredients.

"Sometimes we break up an operation and find these ingredients. But
unless we can find some of the finished product there's not much we
can do. It's happened to us in town here before. We need the ability
to prosecute," he said.