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2s5tz3s3 mwaaasbggsamsswscsg 14 stouffville suntribune thursday june 23 2005 the arthritis addictive homemade drug more dangerous than crack cocaine police say ffiiorri whetlier its a defeshif life insuraneevbr a can plan to v ensure bntiiiuins panivk kave arthritis am coiintinioii- for more infbrmatioh i planned giving the arthritis sbeietw givehope richmond 5805177 this message brought to you as a community sentee of the economist sin suntnbune by martin derbyshire staff writer crystal meths popularity has spread across british columbia over the past four years as fast as a wildfire in the interior now law enforcement experts agree york region d the rest of the greater toronto area could be the next logical destination for the dangerous drug and labs that create it if its not there now you can bet it soon will be said corp scott rintoul with the rcmps drug enforcement branch in bc in the 1980s there was coke in the 90s crack in the new mil lennium its all about crystal meth crystal methamphetamine also known as meth speed crank or ice is a cookedup combination of over-the- counter cold medication containing ephedrine or pseudbephedrine and household chemical products recipes are just an internet search away the ingredients can be bought at any pharmacy and hardware store and a rudimentary knowledge of chemistry is all thats needed to cook up a batch in the privacy of your own home for police home brew dope similar to meth is considered one of the biggest threats to the future of public safety york regional police chief armand la barge said drugs are always a concern but these new types of drugs the drugs you can manufacture in your home and make millions in profits they are a def inite threat he said having watched die suburban explosion of large scale marijuana grow operations and chemical ecstasy labs drugs are always a concern but these new types of drugs the drugs you can manufacture in your home and make millions in profits they are a definite threat in york chief la barge says illicit drug trends in canada have followed a familiar path moving from the united states into bc and then across the country to the gta police fear crystal rhefh will follow a similar road the drug has already risen in popii- larity moving from california to the bor der state ofwashington where almost 1400 crystal meth labs were busted last year and it has been seen on this side of the border in ever increas- ing num bers- since 2000 corp rintoul said rcmp officers conducted 40 meth lab raids in 2004 there were none in 2000 its probably always been here it just wasnt getting the attention drugs like crack cocaine and heroin were get ting he said now it is concern from police and health authorities alike stems from the fact crystal meth has a tendency to com pletely take control of a user and the end result is either psy chosis or death corp rintoul said its an ugly drug its not like cocaine this drug is a lot worse smoke snorl or shoot a 5 or 10 bag and the high might last 12 to 16 hoursthe highenergy incredibly addictive nature of the drug sees users gaat ttftftaaafoi york region career premiere ballroom convention centre r 901 9 leslie st gust north of hwy 7 richmond hill basaasr wednesday september 28 2005 1 0am to 3pm check out the various health care opportunities ton vrns rpns nursing students psws physiotherapists occupational therapists and other health care professionals hits ii7nttiiu iti clow frtiintiu is your organization interested in participating to book your booth call amy hughes at 18882117288x239 emailahughesymgcom events maiwgetnenl for more information check out our website fflgflk wvavyortoegioncom binge going without sleep and eating very little for sometimes five or six days at a time crystal meth is pretty scary said wendewopd a pharmacist at the centre for addiction and mental health in toronto unlike a lot of drugs you wont find too many fecre ational users it sure has a hold on peo ple and it can destroy lives on a binge whats called tweaking the effects of starvation and sleep dep- ravation set in and aggres sive behav iour and psychosis take over a lot of its just the lack of sleep and over the short term that should go away when the drug is out of the system and they get some rest but if someone uses for years there could be some permanent psychosis ms wood said like a lot of illicit drugs because people tend to be multidrug users specific longterm effects are tough to pin down but ms wood said meth can cause cardiovascular and spinal cord damage tooth decay and gum disease methamphetamine drugs have been around since the 1970s but like ecstasy this latest crystal form of the drug discovered a newfound popularity in the rave scene of the late 90s cheaper to produce than ecstasy but giving ravers the same sense of unlimited energy dealers began mixing it in with ecstasy toincrease profits with the rave scene dying down meth moved to clubs die streets and eventually high schools corp rintoul said highly addictive drugs like crack cocaine and heroin have long had a foothold in vancouvers downtown eastside but meth has managed to make its way into suburban and rural communities surrounding the city places like chilliwack abbotsford squamish maple ridge corp rintoul said its all over the smaller communi ties while police say organized crime figures have taken over control of most of the ecstasy and marijuana produc tion in york arid across the country set ting up large scale grows and labs crys tal meth has gone in a different direc tion its mostly the small momandpop labs that yield about a half an ounce per cook corp rintoul said its not organized crime at least not yet the smaller scale of the labs doesnt render them any less dangerous how ever many of the solvents and acids used to cook meth are toxic highly flamma ble and as combustible as anything used in an ecstasy lab the fact a cook may also be a user who has been high for three days does nt help either corp rintoul said but the size of the labsmay just be the reason police havent seen many in york region to date and why we may not see very many in the near future york drug squad detsgt karen noakes said of course we have concerns about any type of chemical labs being set up in york region but so far the trend here has been towards the larger scale ecstasy labs we havent seen a lot of the momandpop small labs associat ed with crystal meth the trend here is the super labs she said momandpop meth labs usually service small existing addict popula tions often taking over on streets and areas where crack and cocaine use once dominated unlike some larger cities york region municipalities dont have neighbourhoodsor streets wrought with drug problems which means the readyrmade marketfor meth is not here detsgt noakes said callers never have to identify themselves or testify in courf cash rewards for anonymous tips that lead to an arrest 1800222tips or wwwcrimestoppersyrca this message brought to you as a 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