IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU CHOOSE TO USE

At a barbecue last weekend, five of us found ourselves scorning the biased
cover article by Gail Johnson on the "evil" substance crystal meth, whose
subtitled role as "a new demon in Vancouver" summarizes the article's lack of
journalistic detachment.

Four of the five of us, West Coast 20-somethings, have firsthand experience
with crystal. Ironically, the veteran--who admits to "more than just occasional
weekend usage"--is also the most successful, a top media rep for a big record
label. The odd man out is an artist in his late 50s who scoffs at hard-luck
Jake of the "tired chestnut eyes" (please)--one of just two users
interviewed--who, tellingly, is being prescribed antipsychotic and
antidepressant medication by his friendly psychiatrist. Surprisingly (?), he
reports hallucinations and "delusional thinking".

For the record, none of us has ever had hallucinations on meth, nor any
psychotic episodes besides the odd monthly tantrum our boyfriends may have
witnessed. Curious, I asked my doctor which substances he'd deem the most
ravaging on the human body. His answer? Alcohol and coffee. His clincher
comment: "It's all in how you choose to use, or abuse, what you put in your
body; even water can be toxic in too-high doses."

If meth's the "new demon", Johnson would do well to balance her stance by
researching some older demons more likely to finish off her ill-informed
generation.

Amy Hartmann

Victoria