EPHEDRINE WITH EASE

Main Meth Ingredient Still Not Hard To Buy

The prime ingredient used to make crystal methamphetamine is easily
available in Winnipeg despite tougher federal rules introduced in 2003
to restrict its sale, the Free Press has found.

But it depends on who you know and whether you can be
trusted.

Black-market ephedrine hydrochloride -- a stimulant marketed as a
nasal decongestant -- can be purchased with cash under the counter at
health-supplement stores or through the Internet, according to police
and drug experts.

"It's always cash," one source said, explaining he regularly buys
three bottles of ephedrine hydrochloride, containing 200 25-milligram
tablets for $50 each, for his daily pick-me-up.

Health Canada, the federal agency that regulates the sale of
medication and other health products, approves only eight-mg doses of
ephedrine HCL. A bottle of 50 eight-mg tablets is less than $4.

The bottles of the 25-mg ephedrine HCL the source recently purchased
do not have a company name, a country of origin or an eight-digit Drug
Identification Number (DIN), as required by Health Canada for legal
sale in Canada.

The ease with which the ephedrine was purchased came as no surprise to
police.

"Everything you need to make meth is available, even over the
counter," RCMP drug-awareness Cpl. Marc Samson said.

"There's no doubt there are operational labs out there. People are
cooking it for their own consumption and for resale, for
trafficking."

The source said he bought the ephedrine at a city health-supplement
store. The store owner later told the Free Press he no longer sells
the illegal pills.

If the transaction were reported to a Health Canada inspector, and
verified, the store can be shut down, Health Canada spokeswoman
Nathalie Lalonde said.

Combined with common chemicals -- the farm fertilizer anhydrous
ammonia, lithium metal (from batteries) or red phosphorus (from
matchbook strikers and flares) and iodine -- illegal drug makers can
turn ephedrine into one of the most addictive street drugs in North
America.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says the use of ephedrine in
methamphetamine production can yield up to 75 per cent of its total
weight in meth, depending on the process used.

Ephedrine HCL -- and its herbal cousin ephedra -- is more widely known
as a weight-loss aid. Exercise buffs and bodybuilders use it -- along
with caffeine tablets and Aspirin -- to increase their metabolism and
burn body fat, while preserving muscle tone. It also acts as an
appetite suppressant. In Canada, the sale of ephedrine HCL and ephedra
are restricted by Health Canada. The federal agency also controls the
importation and distribution of ephedrine in Canada.

Lalonde said ephedra is classified as a natural health product in
Canada, and comes under the authority of the Natural Health Products
Regulations.

That means before any product containing ephedra can be legally sold
in Canada, it must first undergo a pre-market review where it will be
assessed for safety, efficacy and quality. Ephedra products meeting
the criteria will be authorized for sale and issued a Natural Product
Number (NPN) that will appear on the product label.

Ephedrine HCL -- and its herbal cousin ephedra -- is more widely known
as a weight-loss aid. Exercise buffs and bodybuilders use it -- along
with caffeine tablets and Aspirin -- to increase their metabolism and
burn body fat, while preserving muscle tone. It also acts as an
appetite suppressant.

In Canada, the sale of ephedrine HCL and ephedra are restricted by
Health Canada. The federal agency also controls the importation and
distribution of ephedrine in Canada.

Lalonde said ephedra is classified as a natural health product in
Canada, and comes under the authority of the Natural Health Products
Regulations.

That means before any product containing ephedra can be legally sold
in Canada, it must first undergo a pre-market review where it will be
assessed for safety, efficacy and quality. Ephedra products meeting
the criteria will be authorized for sale and issued a Natural Product
Number (NPN) that will appear on the product label.

University of Manitoba associate professor of pharmacy Dr. Alan
McIntosh said unregulated ephedrine products can also be bought over
the Internet.

"If you want to abuse it, it's out there," McIntosh said. McIntosh
said athletes are known to abuse ephedrine and pseudoephedrine-containing
cold-remedy products. Pseudoephedrine is a synthetic version of
ephedrine and found in cold medications like Sudafed or Actifed.

"It's all about performance, getting the heart pumping and the brain
into overdrive," McIntosh said.

In 2002, Health Canada issued an advisory on products containing
ephedrine and ephedra.

It cited adverse effects including dizziness, headaches, decreased
appetite, anxiety, restlessness or nervousness, gastrointestinal
distress, irregular heartbeat, tachycardia (accelerated heartbeat),
insomnia, sweating, hypertension, stroke, seizures, psychosis and death.

The United States Food and Drug Administration banned ephedrine more
than a year ago following about 90 deaths in the U.S., including
National Football League right tackle Korey Stringer of the Minnesota
Vikings in 2001 and Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler in 2003.

That ban was successfully challenged by a Utah supplement company last
April.

U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell said the FDA was wrong in its
decision because the federal agency wrongly regulated ephedrine as a
drug and not a food. She also said the law required the FDA to prove
that a dietary supplement is harmful, rather than requiring the
manufacturer to prove it is safe, as is required with drugs.

The FDA appealed Campbell's decision June 13. A hearing should take
place sometime in the new year.

*SIDEBAR*

A natural stimulant

What is ephedra?

It is a natural stimulant found in the shrub-like plant ma huang,
which grows naturally in India and China. The dried plant has been
used medicinally for centuries. The active ingredient (one per cent)
is ephedrine.

What is ephedrine?

An alkaloid from the leaves of the ma huang plant. Most common product
is ephedrine hydrochloride (salt). Used as bronchial decongestant and
stimulant. Also found in many weight-loss products.

Mimics epinephrine, a hormone in the brain stem that is released in
response to threatening or exciting conditions.

What is pseudoephedrine?

Synthetic variant of ephedrine, but less potent. Used in many
over-the-counter cold medications, such as nasal decongestants
Sudafed, Actifed and Contact. Also acts as a central nervous system
stimulant. Sometimes abused by athletes before competition to
stimulate heart rate and brain activity.