CONFERENCE TACKLES NEW DESIGNER DRUGS

Getting emergency personnel to quickly recognize the signs and symptoms of
increasingly popular chemical drugs such as ecstasy and GHB was the topic of
a two-day conference that wrapped up in Ottawa yesterday.

The conference, called Chemical Drugs and First Responders, is part of a
national campaign to better educate paramedics, firefighters, police
officers and emergency room staff about chemical drug overdoses.

Ottawa police Staff Sgt. Marc Pinault said there has been an explosion in
popularity of the cheaply produced chemical rave drugs and that poses
challenges for emergency personnel when presented with an overdose.

"The (chemical) drug market is expanding so rapidly," said Pinault, adding
chemical drugs include ecstasy, GHB, methamphetamine, ketamine, PCP, crystal
meth and LSD.

"We have to educate them about what is out there," he said. "I don't know if
first responders are keeping up with it."

Pinault said drug producers sometimes mix several types of chemicals, but
market it as another drug entirely.

PERFECT HIGH

"One of the biggest problems is finding out what the person is on," he said,
adding an overdosed patient may be passed out or, if conscious, unsure about
what they took.

Users are also mixing chemical drugs with alcohol and a variety of other
drugs to try to find the perfect high.

Most chemical drugs are produced in clandestine labs and there's no way for
emergency workers to know exactly what was used in the production.

"You don't know what the dosage is," said Pinault. "People think they're
buying one thing but really they aren't."

About 100 people attended the Ottawa conference, which was the third in a
series that began earlier this year in Vancouver. By fall, Pinault hopes a
training manual will be available for first responders across Canada.