FIGHT METH WITH TEAMWORK

If Edmonton wants to get its spiralling methamphetamine problem under
control, the whole community has to get involved, says a member of a
Washington-based group.

"Simply put, you need to express a very strong sense of urgency through all
kinds of community groups and agencies, because meth, unlike other drugs,
really involves the whole community," Mike Lascuola of the Spokane Regional
Health District said yesterday.

Lascuola's suggestion came a day after Edmonton police seized 2.3 kilograms
of the drug - worth $168,000 - from a suspicious car spotted near 53 Street
and 129 Avenue. A 61-year-old man is charged with trafficking.

Spokane had a huge explosion of meth addiction in the mid-'90s after a
cheap, easy method of manufacturing the drug was discovered.

Though Lascuola noted that manufacturers in Mexico still account for about
70% of the city's supply, Spokane city police spokesman Richard Cottam said
the number of meth labs in Spokane is dropping and no major operations have
been found lately.

"It's nothing like it was a year or two years ago," he said. "I think some
of it has to do with enforcement. We had a major push on it with our drug
unit."

The Spokane Sheriff's Department stationed officers in stores that sold
large amounts of the drug's components, Cottam said. "They even got some of
the suppliers to let them know when they were selling unusual amounts of the
elements that are used. So there are things that can be done that are
preventive and give you an alert."

Stopping people from trying meth in the first place is "pretty hard to do,"
he said. "It has such a high addiction factor. You take one hit and the
chances are good that you're going to be hooked, and people just don't
believe that."

Police, drug treatment centres, health officials and even environmental
groups banded together to form the Spokane County Meth Action Team in 2001.
It met last month with local legislators to discuss changes to city and
county ordinances to combat the meth explosion.

"Maybe we should have started earlier, but that's hindsight," said Lascuola,
a member of the team. "You've got to get all the players to a table in your
community."