METH EASY TO MAKE, LUCRATIVE TO SELL

Problems Drug Creates Hard To Solve

Broken friendships, torn families, fractured communities and the
similar stories that trail behind are all too familiar to Tammy
Allan, a minister at Hinton United Church in Alberta.

Hinton is an industry-based town of about 10,000 people, about three
hours southwest of Edmonton, where jobs at pulp and paper mills, and
in the coal mining and oil and gas industries, come with long hours,
high rates of pay and the propensity to turn to drugs.

"It's a resource-based economy with lots of money and shift work and
hey, if I take this drug and it keeps me awake I can take an extra
shift or two," says Allan. Click Here!

"Now they're running dry camps and they do drug and alcohol testing,
but when they get out of camp, it's party time."

Between 1998 and 2003, arrests for crystal meth trafficking in
Alberta jumped from 13 to 109 and at the same time, possession
arrests increased from 21 to 252 - much of this happening in the small town.

Also known as speed, crystal, ice, jib and crank, crystal meth can be
made using ingredients found in a pharmacy, hardware store or farm
supply store and can be produced almost anywhere.

"You can cook it in your trunk, in a hotel room. You can cook it in
your kitchen or bathroom," says Allan. "It can be locally produced
and depending on the demand, one hit of meth will go for $10 to $20."

She rhymes off the information with the ease of a dealer. Her
expertise has come out of necessity, she says.

She has watched the insidious drug undermine her congregation and
community, stood helplessly by while churches and homes were being
vandalized by people trying to support their addiction, and assisted
older Hinton residents who are raising their grandchildren because
having that drug became more important to their children than having
food on the table.

However, rather than stay powerless, the residents of Hinton decided
to strike back.

The Hinton Community Drug Action Committee was formed in February,
2003 with people from provincial ministries, social agencies,
churches, RCMP, the Alberta Alcohol Abuse Commission, schools and
interested residents.

The committee developed a four-step action plan that called for a
major public awareness campaign, and targeted prevention programs,
more coordinated law enforcement protocols and improved access to
detoxification centres.

"Within a few months, we did a door-to-door community campaign, not
asking for money, just educating people and letting them know that
there was a coalition working," says Allan.

As a result of building awareness of what the characteristics of meth
use are, pharmacists now keep over-the-counter medication such as
Sudafed behind the counter and will call police if someone wants to
purchase an extraordinary amount. Storeowners that carry items like
battery acid, lye (sodium hydroxide), and other ingredients that
could be used, pay attention to who is purchasing large amounts. And
residents are watching neighbourhoods more closely.

While she admits the drug is still a problem - particularly for those
between 19 and 25 - she says the positive side of it has been the
community banding together.