RENOWNED DETECTIVE ADDRESSES PERILS OF CRYSTAL METH USE

Battle River Regional Division #31 administrators were schooled on the
dangers of crystal meth (methamphetamine) by Calgary police officer and
award-winning author Det. Steve Walton, Nov. 12. Walton, a 24-year police
force veteran whose book Get the Dope on Dope: First Response Guide to
Street Drugs is widely used in medical and law enforcement circles as the
resource guide to illegal street drugs, painted a poignant picture of
crystal meth's rise in Alberta communities. "What you're seeing is the
emergence of one of the most dangerous street drugs in the world," Det.
Walton told an assembly of about 60 BRRD #31 administrators.

The long- and short-term effects of using crystal meth are devastating, he
said, and can include such physiological side effects as fatal kidney and
lung disorders, stroke and weight loss.

Short-term side effects such as increased awareness and alertness make
crystal meth seem like a friend, but it quickly becomes a terrible enemy
that is very difficult to abandon. The drug is highly addictive and can
result in additional short-term side effects such as aggressive behavior,
sweating, insomnia and dry, itchy skin after only limited use. Det. Walton
praised BRRD #31 and the City of Camrose Drug Response Task Force for its
willingness to educate its frontline workers. "I like what I see here. Your
community has completely mobilized and that's what we need to do. I'm
hopeful other communities in your region, in this province and across this
continent will use this community as a model (to combat drugs).

"If we ignore the problem our children are going to suffer the
consequences."

In an effort to provide its employees with appropriate resource information
specific to illegal street drugs, the Division ordered and distributed over
50 copies of Get the Dope on Dope to administrators. The drug issue has been
identified as a community problem that, by the nature of the demographic it
impacts, has filtered into some division schools.