CRYSTAL METH WARNING SOUNDED

Homewood Psychiatrist Urges Community Action

Guelph must do something about crystal meth now before use of the
popular stimulant reaches epidemic proportions, Graeme Cunningham
says.

The Homewood psychiatrist delivered the warning yesterday to members
of Guelph's Chamber of Commerce.

As part of a breakfast speech on substance abuse in the workplace,
Cunningham expressed concern that the highly addictive drug is
becoming particularly fashionable in rural areas, and pointed to
Stratford as one small city where it has gained tremendous popularity.

Cunningham said community mobilization against illicit drugs often
doesn't materialize until it's almost too late.

This happened with crack cocaine, he said, and he certainly doesn't
want to see a repeat with crystal meth.

"It doesn't hit the media until very late on in the pandemic,"
Cunningham said in an interview after his speech.

"Once it's on the front page, people like me have been dealing with
it for a number of years.

"Let's see if we can look at it before it becomes a problem," he
said.

He said the community should develop a working strategy for crystal
meth, a drug particularly popular among young people.

Cunningham, who is the director of the Homewood's addiction division,
said the warning signs can be subtle.

Someone using small doses of crystal meth would likely just seem
hyper and "revved up."

But heavy users can become paranoid, psychotic and even
dangerous.

And unlike cocaine, which has a high that can last only minutes,
crystal meth gives users a rush that can carry on for up to 12 hours.
Kim Kitchen, a Homewood addiction therapist based in Orangeville,
said he has seen crystal meth increase in popularity in the last
several years.

But he said it's hard to say for certain because of the social stigma
associated with the drug.

Made in rural kitchens and bathrooms from chemicals that can be
bought at a local hardware store, it's not exactly a drug of the elite.

Kitchen said many meth users actually pretend they do cocaine to
avoid the class stigma, but there are other physical signs that give
them away, such as skin lesions, hair loss and rotting teeth and gums.

He said cocaine dealers will also cut their drugs with
methamphetamine to raise profits, and many of their clients don't
even know what they're actually addicted to.

"It's just poison, that's what it really is," Kitchen said,
describing the drug. "It's like standing and breathing next to a
paint factory on fire."

At yesterday's breakfast meeting Cunningham reminded his audience
that unlike trendy drugs such as crystal meth, alcohol is one
addictive substances that is always popular.

Cunningham said as many as one in five adults in Ontario have
personally experienced problems related to alcohol and drug abuse,
and that 71 per cent of illegal drug users are employed.

While substance abusers are generally very skilled at covering their
habit, they are more likely to make mistakes or injure themselves on
the job, and may have problems with their supervisors.

And if an employee has difficulty showing up for work, Cunningham
said their addiction is likely very advanced.

He encouraged employers to have employees undergo a health assessment
if they are worried they might have a problem with substance abuse.