TOP COP TARGETS METH

Manufacture Of Speed At 'Crisis Proportions'

The federal government needs to take swift action to help cops curb a
methamphetamine crisis, warns Edmonton's police chief.

"There's no question that the manufacture of meth in this country is
reaching crisis proportions, and we need to do every thing we can to reduce
this growing public problem," Chief Bob Wasylyshen told media yesterday,
after RCMP and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced 11 people
are facing charges related to a massive drug-smuggling ring.

Authorities allege the ring was smuggling large quantities of
pseudoephedrine - a key component of the drug commonly known as speed - from
Canada into the United States. Police said massive quantities of
pseudoephedrine were being manufactured in Montreal and stockpiled in
Ottawa.

Wasylyshen said yesterday police here have seen meth production "in a
greater measure" than expected. But police did expect the problem would
migrate here from the United States.

"One of the biggest things that drives the whole meth problem, in my view,
is the fact that the chemicals that are required to make methamphetamine are
available locally and throughout the whole country," Wasylyshen said.

"This is a huge problem because many countries, including the United States,
make it illegal for businesses to carry or sell those ingredients."

Health Canada is attempting to follow the U.S. lead, making it tougher to
get the drugs and chemicals for production.

The department's new Precursor Control Regulations, under Canada's
Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, kicked in this year to set out
licensing and permit requirements for importing and exporting some of the
substances, including pseudoephedrine and ephedrine.

Controls over distributing and selling some of the substances are expected
to take effect in July, and additional substances will fall under those
rules next January.

But Wasylyshen said the feds need tougher rules right away.

"They may have limited some of them, but still, many of the precursors
(substances) are out there and available, and continue to be."