METH PRESENTATION AN EYE OPENER

Last Wednesday evening the RCMP's drugs and organized crime awareness
service visited Bowden to give a presentation to community members
about the dangers associated with illegal drugs, especially
methamphetamine.

Sitting in the audience and listening to the portion of the
presentation dealing with the toxic chemicals involved in the
production of meth, I began wondering why anyone would want to get
involved in that business at all. Even if there are piles of money to
be made from distributing the substance (which I doubt when faced with
all the costs associated with production), it's not worth the risk to
life and limb to produce it.

Some of the chemicals involved in production include lighter fluid and
other flammable materials. Errors made while mixing the substances -
as some amateur chemists have inadvertently made - can have deadly
consequences. During the presentation in Bowden, slides were shown of
entire trailers or basements blown apart, seriously injuring or
killing those who were "cooking" the batch.

Aside from the immediate danger to the cooks, the broader
ramifications on the wider community are huge. Because of the toxic
soup involved in creating the drug, police and other agencies involved
in dismantling these operations have to don complete hazardous
material suits to avoid breathing in harmful fumes that may be
present. In addition, environmental reclamation specialists need to be
called in to decontaminate the spoiled landscape due to the toxic
garbage left behind. Anyone who comes across these chemicals before
the proper authorities get a chance to clean up the area may be
exposed to carcinogens and other toxic substances.

One slide shown in Bowden pictured a suspect's pick-up truck with the
paint peeled off from where the chemicals had spilled over the box.

Then there are the unfortunate people who smoke this toxic stew. While
I understand the need to feel euphoric, I prefer my highs to come from
more benign activities such as exercise, meeting with friends and
family or playing sports. Unless one counts the occasional injury from
taking part in a good work-out, there really isn't a downside to these
activities - unlike smoking meth. That list of harmful side-effects is
massive - sleep deprivation for days at a time, unaffected by pain,
increased respiration, pulse and body temperature and a feeling of
indestructibility.

Personally, I'm very aware of my limitations and am very much aware of
what can harm me - and I stay as far away from those activities and
substances as possible. Having said that, however, I like it that way
because I always know what my limitations are and where danger is
probably lurking.

Although everyone's situation is different - some drug users have had
a hard life and drug-abuse sometimes offers some sort of an escape - I
still take a dim view of any substance abuse for the simple fact that
users should know what they're getting into and have no one else to
blame but themselves if the substances wreak havoc on their lives.