Canada Now in Meth Crisis

[swanprincess75]

I dont know if you all heard the news this evening, but Canada is now following the US by restricting the use of cough and cold medicines that contain the ingrediant to make METH. I guess that sucks cause we have been getting hit every year with the killer flu and you wont be able to get more than 3 boxes per month. Canada has discovered that the Meth crisis has started in BC, and is slowly heading west. I guess that they dont know how much it is used here in Ontario!! So sorry to all you Meth cooks in Canada cause it's a long haul to Mexico!! And we all know that we cant get efedrin (spelling sucks) on our shelves............Damn you Canada

[Cure20]

I also know that there is a town some where in BC that started a "Meth Watch" program where the police have talked to a numours amout of store owners as well as lager base companies to report any sales of things (ie. Sudafed, acetone, batteries........The list goes on) and most of the products have an orange sticker on them saying in bold print "Warning This Product Is Used To Make Meth"

[Cure20]

PoCo launches Meth Watch program


Retailers post signs, train staff on what to look for


By Jennifer Saltman - Staff Reporter


While police, firefighters and Health Canada workers took apart a dangerous methamphetamine lab in Port Coquitlam four months ago, an idea to prevent similar labs was brewing.


At City Hall and in the community police stations, people were trying to find a way to deal with the growing problem of crystal methamphetamine, also known as meth.


The result is the Meth Watch program.


Assistant fire Chief Al Nicholson predicts that meth will be worst epidemic this country's ever seen.


"You don't want to say it, but it's going to make marijuana and drug grows look like a walk in the park," he said.


And although Nicholson said the chances of preventing super labs, like the one found in Vancouver this week, are slim, the goal of preventing mom-and-pop operations set up in kitchen sinks or in the trunks of cars, or at home in coffee pots by curious teens with Grade 8 chemistry under their belts is attainable with Meth Watch.


"We were looking at different programs we could bring in to curb the use and the making of it and this was a successful program," said Coun. Greg Moore, who chairs the committee.


The Meth Watch Program is designed to help curtail the theft and suspicious sales of pseudoephed-rine products, such as over-the-counter cold medication and other common household products used to manufacture meth in underground labs.


"It's educating the retailers and consumers of the products that go into meth and from a retailer's perspective educating their staff what to look for when people are purchasing the ingredients for meth," Moore said.


"If someone's coming in and buying five cases of Sudafed, it's probably not because they have a really bad cold."


Participating retailers strategically post Meth Watch signs on their store fronts. Using a specially developed web-learning portal, they train their employees to recognize suspicious transactions, without confronting or identifying the customer, and to contact police when these take place.


"It's just awareness, really," said Const. Brigitte Goguen.


She said once businesses have been visited and given information, there will be follow-up to see if the program has been implemented, employees are being trained and decals are up.


"It involves more than just coming in and sticking up stickers," Goguen said.


A team of police, fire and municipal representatives visited between 30 and 35 local businesses this week, most of which were receptive to the idea.


"They're just the innocent victims," Nicholson said of retailers. "They're getting used and not even knowing they're getting used. And I haven't talked to a single person yet in the community that wants to be associated with that."


One of the participating businesses is the Pharmasave on Coast Meridian Road.


Jim Fenton, whose family runs the drugstore, said they were happy to participate.


"We have to do something here, because it's becoming more and more of a problem," Fenton said. "If we can prevent something, it's better than treating the after-effect"


He said that staff at his Pharmasave haven't seen any strange activity yet, but they watch pretty closely and know what to look for - it's not hard to pick out.


When the Meth Watch program is in full swing, the city doesn't plan to just sit back and relax.


"After this program is implemented that might be the next stage that we go to, is to limit the amount that people can purchase of certain products," Moore said.


Meth is a powerful and highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. It is a synthetic drug produced or sold as pills, capsules or powder that can be smoked, snorted, injected or swallowed.


It damages the nervous system and use can cause dependence and addiction, psychosis, stroke, dangerously high body temperature and irregular heartbeat.


"Most cases, one or two tries is all you need to be addicted permanently," Nicholson said. "Meth is a chemical drug, it changes the chemical makeup of your body, you won't recover and that's the problem with it.


"And that's what scares the hell out of us."


For more information, visit www.methwatch.ca.


NOW you know:


The following are some items commonly used to produce crystal meth:


ù over-the-counter cough, cold and allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine


ù acetone


ù rubbing alcohol


ù iodine


ù starter fluid (ether)


ù gas additives (methanol)


ù drain cleaner


ù lithium batteries


ù rock salt


ù matchbooks


ù lye


ù paint thinner

[unico_walker]

"Most cases, one or two tries is all you need to be addicted permanently," Nicholson said. "Meth is a chemical drug, it changes the chemical makeup of your body, you won't recover and that's the problem with it. "


Do they actually believe this bullshit?