METH DANGERS CHRONICLED

Popular Drug Extremely Addictive, Harmful, U.S. Expert Says

Whistler and Pemberton RCMP officers say the crystal meth "wave"
hasn't hit the two towns, but community members should know what to
look for so they can identify methamphetamine labs and dump sites if
the deadly drug begins to move in.

Educating yourself on the signs, effects and risks of meth was the
key message at an information forum on Tuesday (March 27) at
Millennium Place. Presented by the Whistler Drug and Alcohol
Committee, the event included a panel discussion and a presentation
by Roger Lake, a Washington state narcotics investigator and meth consultant.

He said learning about the drug and talking with children and young
people about its horrifying effects will help prepare Whistler to
fight the drug if it becomes a problem locally.

"You need to educate yourself so you can knowledgably educate your
children," Lake said to the audience of parents and teenagers.

Lake, who is also the co-author of America's Meth Prevention
Cookbook, shared some of the disturbing stories of psychosis,
physical injury, death, ruined lives and child abuse resulting from
meth use that he witnessed during his years as a police officer and
drug investigator.

Meth is an "extremely volatile drug," Lake said. "Methamphetamine
seems to be the worst."

Because it's so quickly addictive and rapidly damages the brain,
causing psychotic behaviour, meth is worse than even cocaine and
heroin, he said.

Meth is such a powerfully addictive drug that addicts will choose
the drug over anything else of importance to survival or their
lives. Lake said he talked to addicts who admitted they would choose
the drug over their own children.

The drug has such a hold on addicts' lives that nothing else drives
them other than the pursuit of more drugs.

"They're doing it to survive," he said. "Their drive state says 'all
you need is the drug' and they'll do anything."

Meth is one of the cheapest street drugs to buy and all it takes to
make crystal is a blender, a funnel and some other regular kitchen
items. The process can be completed in about 30 minutes, Lake said.

With flammable ingredients such as camp fuel, paint thinner, lithium
from batteries, acetone, anhydrous ammonia and starter fluid, the
"cooking" process is extremely dangerous and explosions and fires are common.

The chemicals are also extremely hazardous to the brain. Crystal
meth use, particularly when it's smoked, rapidly damages the brain,
killing portions of it and resulting in brain scans that are full of
holes. Brains of people in their early 20s appear as the brains of
60- or 70-year-olds who have suffered from minor strokes.

Addicts' brains "aren't functioning normally," Lake said, which
accounts for some of the psychotic, paranoid behaviour and repeat
criminal activity.

Though crystal meth use is widespread in Vancouver and somewhat
present in Squamish, so far Whistler and Pemberton have been lucky
not to see much evidence of the drug.

"I think there's probably people here that are using meth," said
Cst. Rod Gallop from the Whistler RCMP. "(But) I just think that
right now it's not a drug of choice here."

Other drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy are prevalent in Whistler
and ecstasy pills can contain up to 60 per cent meth, he said.

Police officers regularly visit local schools to talk to students
about the dangers of drug use. A new addictions counsellor has been
hired at the Whistler Health Care Centre and will start in May.

Visit the Sea to Sky Community Services Society offices in person or
online at www.communityservices.bc.ca for more details on local
programs. Another online resource is www.no2meth.ca.