PROVINCE BALKS AT METH MATERIALS RESTRICTIONS

The provincial government is stepping up efforts to control the raw
materials used to make crystal meth-amphetamine, but without tighter
federal controls on key ingredients authorities will have a tough time
keeping the dangerous drug off B.C. streets, says Solicitor General
John Les.

Earlier this month, Les announced that the province plans to work
closely with police, pharmacists and retailers involved in Meth Watch,
a program that monitors the sale of meth-making materials such as
ephedrine, the active ingredient used to manufacture crystal meth.

But Les also said there's no solid evidence to suggest that forcing
retailers to place common cold remedies such as Sudafed, Benylin and
Contac behind the pharmacy counter would help stop criminals from
manufacturing the drug.

"Should such a trend develop we would move quickly to put those
materials behind the counter, but we don't want to regulate anymore
than we have to," he said.

At the moment, police intelligence suggests that most of the
province's crystal meth is made with bulk precursor chemicals
manufactured in Asia and legally imported to B.C., Les said.

But since Health Canada has yet to list ephedrine products as
controlled substances, it's not against the law to possess "precursor
chemicals" once they have arrived in Canada.

"If I had a drum of ephedrine in my trunk right now, I could be pulled
over by police and according to Health Canada it would not be illegal
to possess," Les said.

"They're making a move now to list ephedrine under the Controlled
Substances Act... things are very much in catch-up mode with the
federal government."

One "super-lab" discovered by Lower Mainland police earlier this year
contained enough ephedrine to make $300 million worth of crystal meth,
Les added.

While B.C. is taking a wait-and-see approach to restricting precursor
ingredients, other Canadian provinces are moving ahead with mandatory
measures for retailers.

On Nov. 1, Saskatchewan and Manitoba became the first provinces to
require that all ephedrine-based cold remedies be placed behind the
counter. Ontario and Alberta are also looking at similar
restrictions.

Although no meth labs have been discovered in the Capital Region,
Victoria police Const. Brad Fraser said it's only a matter of time
before police find one.

"Retailers are seeing people come in and buy the precursors. If you
take that information on an informal basis you'd have to think there's
a meth lab out there," Fraser said, who is running Victoria's Meth
watch program in conjunction with the Crystal Meth Victoria Society.

"Historically the drug has been coming to us from the mainland, but
there's no reason to say we don't have the skill here to do it.

"Meth watch is really going to address the smaller
cooks."

However Fraser acknowledged that most of the province's crystal meth
is made with bulk chemicals, not over the counter cold medicine.

It's relatively easy to obtain what is known as a "precursor A
licence" that allows the licensee to legally import ephedrine, as long
as "you don't possess a criminal record," he said.

The province would also like to see the federal government tighten its
licensing requirements, Les said, adding that about 70,000 litres of
ephedrine is imported into Canada each year, but only 30,000 litres of
that is earmarked for legal manufacturing industries.

"We think there should be a requirement to obtain a special permit,"
he said. "(Importers are) not really as well regulated as we would
like them to be."

Fraser said Meth Watch is also working with hardware stores and other
retailers that sell meth-making materials such as paint thinner,
iodine, sulfuric or muriatic acid, red phosphorous, ether, acetone
kerosene, iodine and lithium batteries.