PROVINCE TARGETS CRYSTAL METH PROBLEM

Crystal meth use causes long-term damage and must be stamped out, says
B.C.'s Solicitor General John Les.

"I'm not interested in talking about harm reduction," Les said. "I'm
talking about harm elimination."

Les met with about 50 people in Nanaimo on Saturday to discuss the
progress of crystal meth task forces on Vancouver Island.

He said the provincial government is working on a strategy to
integrate services for people with drug addiction across ministries,
such as mental health and addictions.

"Quite often there is an overlap between those two issues," Les
said.

He said they want to ensure that no matter what government ministry an
addict goes to for help, whether it's health, education, family
services or the court system, workers have the resources to send that
person for treatment.

At the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities meeting earlier this year,
the provincial government committed $7 million towards the strategy.
That includes $3 million to raise awareness, $2 million for seed money
for communities like Nanaimo to develop a task force and $2 million to
improve treatment.

Across the province about 1,000 detox beds are available, said
Les.

"It's pretty clear that we need more than that," he said.

Withdrawal for a meth addict is different from drugs like cocaine or
heroin, and needs continuing care and compassion throughout recovery.
It's a process that could take months or years but the possibility
exists to put recovering addicts in homes in the community, if the
support is available, said Les.

The government is also pursuing civil forfeiture legislation, where
people who profit from crime can have their assets seized, he said.

The government also wants stiffer penalties for people who make and
distribute crystal meth, called the "merchants of misery" by Les.

"These people are in the business of murdering our kids - we should
deal with them accordingly," Les said.