PARENTS CLUED IN ON DRUG ABUSE

About 50 people attended an RCMP presentation on Wednesday evening at
the Bowden Grandview School gym highlighting the dangers of
methamphetamine and other drugs.

Sgt. Donna Hanson, from the drugs and organized crime awareness
service of southern Alberta, told the group there are several problems
with the substances today: they are more potent than in the past, they
are easier to obtain, and there are more health problems associated
with drug use, including HIV and Hepatitis.

As of 2002, 11 meth labs had been dismantled by the RCMP in
Alberta.

Hanson said cooking meth is just as harmful as smoking it, because of
the toxic chemicals involved in manufacturing the substance. She said
in southern Alberta, RCMP are getting reports from farmers of
anhydrous ammonia being stolen from their fields in order to cook the
substance.

"Anything you can get at your local pharmacy or hardware store you can
use to produce meth," she said.

The problem for police is that meth labs are extremely portable, and
by the time a search warrant can be obtained, Hanson said producers
can pack up and leave, often leaving a toxic wasteland behind. She
said when a meth lab is dismantled, there are a minimum of 23 people
that come out to the site, including a police chemist, regular
officers, the fire department and Environment Canada to assist with
decontamination of the site. Hanson said one of the most difficult
parts of any drug investigation is when children are associated with
suspects producing the substance. Until November 2006, the police had
no recourse to take children away from the danger involved. That's
when the provincial government passed the Drug Endangered Children
Act, which can impose a $25,000 fine or six months in prison or both
for anyone caring for a child while producing marijuana or meth.

The RCMP have used the act successfully in several marijuana grow
operations in Calgary.

Unlike other parts of the province, Hanson said meth hasn't taken hold
in southern Alberta. Rather, she said cocaine continues to be the drug
of choice for users.

Meanwhile, Canada produces almost two per cent of the world's
marijuana, totalling 800 metric tonnes per year. There were two
million plants seized in Canada in 2006.

Aside from the dangers of smoking marijuana - loss of short-term
memory, an inability to concentrate and engage in abstract thinking -
producing the substance can have long term effects. Fires from
bypassed electrical outlets, a build-up of carbon dioxide in the
building and toxic moulds building up because of excessive moisture
can all be by-products of production, causing health problems.
Following the presentation, Hanson said while there is some meth use
in central and southern Alberta, it's still not as prevalent as
cocaine use.

"We haven't experienced that methamphetamine is anywhere near the use
of cocaine ... and even in the areas where I mentioned before where
methamphetamine use was quite prevalent (Edmonton to Edson corridor)
it hasn't risen in incidences and in fact it seems to be stable and
going down," she said.

Hanson said police don't know why cocaine use seems to be more
prevalent than other drugs in this corner of the province.

"There's so many factors that go into that I don't think we could put
a finger on why ... that's happening."

With organized crime taking over a large portion of the illegal drug
business, Hanson said police are finding it difficult to investigate
because there are so many people involved.

"The people who are responsible at the end are further removed," she
said. "Organized crime (figures) may be located several provinces
away, who are running multi-faceted organizations. It's hard to
identify and investigate."