The Rural Voice, 2006-02, Page 24Concern over the
growing spread of the
recreational drug
crystal methamphetamine has
grown so serious that as of
April 10, you won't be able to
find many common cold
remedies like Sudafed
Decongestant and Contac
Cold on the shelves of any
store except your pharmacy,
and even then, only behind the
counter.
The order to reduce easy
access to these cold remedies,
which have become basic
materials in the manufacture
of the synthetic drug, was
made this January by the
National Association of
Pharmacy Regulatory
Authority.
The growth in use of this
drug is particularly of concern
in rural areas of Ontario
because that's where it's
easiest to make.
"Rural areas are at a much
greater risk for criminals to set up illegal labs to make
crystal meth," Dr. Rosanna Pellizzari, Medical Officer of
Health for Perth County said.
"It's easier to hide (a lab) in rural areas," Pellizzari said.
"The labs give off toxic fumes. If someone was cooking it
in an apartment in Stratford for instance, it would be much
easier to detect than out on a country road somewhere or in
back woodlots." .
According to Glen Childerley of the Perth detachment of
the OPP, 13 labs have been found in Perth County alone.
"Although there are some labs found in Stratford
residences, what we are finding now is that many of the
(calls about) labs are from fanners who rent out the house
on property that they buy for the land," he said. "Most
farmers, when they discover a lab was found on their
property are shocked and had no idea that it was
happening."
Childerley said he hopes the word is spreading around
now that farmers need to be aware.
Constable Jeff Walraven of the Huron detachment of the
OPP said meth labs are not limited to country farms and
shacks on back wood lots.
"We're finding people using the backs of cars and
basements. People are making it as they drive," he said. "A
lot of the people making it are doing so to support their own
habit as well as make a bit of money on the side."
In addition to isolation afforded by rural areas, another
reason why rural areas are more common than urban centres
is because of anhydrous ammonia, a fertilizer that can be
used as a cooking agent. A lot of farmers have anhydrous
ammonia, making it easier for people who make meth to
either buy it in farm supply stores or steal it from local
farmers.
Pellizzari said the last lab she had heard about was in
CRYSTAL METH
13 crystal meth labs have been
raided in Perth County alone.
Isolation and readg ingredients
make this drug plague a particular
problem in rural areas.
By Heather Crawford
20 THE RURAL VOICE
Monkton. "So farmers need to
be aware that it is out there."
"Farmers need to be
careful about who they rent
their property to, and do a
background check on people
first," Childerley said.
The sudden rise in
media attention and criminal
charges related to the drug can
be attributed to its highly
addictive feature, Pellizzari
said.
"It's a highly addictive
drug and can impair someone
physically. They could suffer
from malnutrition,
hallucinations, psychosis, an
increase in violent behavior,
paranoia, seizures and also
there is a risk of using other
drugs with meth that could
have a dangerous outcome."
According to the World
Health Organization,
"Younger people in particular
seem to possess a skewed
sense of safety about the
substance believing rather erroneously that the substance is
safe and benign."
A 2003 study conducted by the Ontario Student Drug Use
Survey took a sample size of under 7,000 students across
Ontario. Three per cent reported using meth and 1.2 per
cent reported using crystal meth, a pure, more filtered
version of the drug.
Lewis Sanders, a counselor for over 12 years at Choices
for Change, a drug rehabilitation centre in Stratford thinks
the popularity of the drug among young people is because
of their willingness to experiment.
"They hear that this drug will give an intense, pleasurable
sensation, heighten sexual activity and sustain energy and
they want to try it," he said. "There's a curiosity growing
around it."
Sanders said the pushers of the drug are not likely to talk
about the after-effects that follow shortly.
"They don't talk about the loss of memory, the feeling of
utter despair that follows, and the rabid hunger for this drug
'that takes over the mind," he said.
"There's also a feeling of now that I've opened this
Pandora's box to feeling this wonderful, how do I settle into
a normal existence? I think that keeps a lot of young people
from stepping intothe light. They think they can quit later
but that's not always the case."
Astatement from the OPP reads that the most
dangerous stage of meth abuse for abusers, family,
friends, the public, medical personnel, and law
enforcement officers is called "tweaking."
"Consuming the drug continuously for up to three days
without sleep, the user is driven into a severe depression,
followed by worsening paranoia, belligerence, and
aggression," the statement said.
Eventually the user crashes from exhaustion and usually