The Rural Voice, 2006-02, Page 25begins the cycle once again.
Pellizzari said the effects of using
the drug are about as serious as they
get.
"It can kill you," she said. "There
is a powerful dependence on the drug
and it is difficult to stop using."
Pellizzari said there is a tendency
to relapse so avoidance in the first
place is best.
"People who use meth have poor
dental health, a sense of bugs
crawling on their skin and are
chronically picking and scratching
which leaves scars and marks all over
their skin. There is long-term
psychosis also and long-term damage
seems to be irreversible. Some
people don't seem to be getting their
memory back."
Sanders also warns of the serious
effects this drug can have on
the brain.
"On the first time it is used, this
drug can re -write your neural
network," he said. "It takes many
years to re -program your network.
Each use burns the new program into
your brain more."
Sanders also attributes the internet
as having a large influence on the
popularity of the drug. "It has
enabled anybody with access to a
shed and a bunch of people willing to
collect the materials needed to make
their own batch:"
He believes it is this easy access
that has made the drug so popular in
small towns. "I think every town has
their cook. There is a lot more going
on than the police can track down."
Pellizzari said there was a study
conducted in B.0 that looked at the
differences in the use of meth
between rural and urban youth.
"In that study they did not find a
difference in use but it is important to
note the difference between using
and cooking."
Sanders said a co-worker told him
she found out from the police that
someone had created a meth lab for a
month in a shack in the bush at the
back of her property. "I think a lot of
people in small towns get the idea to
mind their own business and it
doesn't get reported," he added.
Pellizzari said detecting a lab
requires some attention to the
property in question.
"Some signs of a meth lab are that
the windows are closed up, you see a
lot of people coming and going at
strange ,hours, the people are
unfriendly, suspicious, you see an
unusual amount of garbage that could
be used in the lab like starter fluid,
drain cleaners, acids, lithium
batteries and solvents. If there is a
strange odor coming from the
building, usually like strong cat urine
there could be a lab inside. Also the
use of camp -stoves, paint thinners,
anti -freeze, coolers and tubes are a
sign of a lab," she said.
The toxic waste produced seems to
be the most dangerous aspect.
"The house itself becomes a
hazard," Pellizzari said. "The
ingredients seep into the walls, floors
and counters and they need to be
cleaned by professionals. Some
places in The States had to be torn
down completely."
Potential labs must be dealt with
very carefully, Childerley. advised.
"We have a clandestine lab team
who dismantle the labs because it is
very dangerous with the different
chemicals used."
He said the statistics in the U.S.
report that one in four labs
discovered blows up.
"The Perth District Health Unit
does an assessment to see whether or
not the home is still livable," he said.
According to Childerley, so far "none
of the labs found have not been able
to be lived in after they were cleaned
up "
Walraven said if a lab is detected
on your property and the house needs
to be gutted afterwards, the bill is the
responsibility of the owner.
"Never enter a property that you
suspect may be used for a meth lab.
Call [the OPP] and we'll go in," he
warned.
Walraven also advises to stay away
from someone who you suspect is
using the drug. "Any drug users can
be dangerous."
Some signs that someone is using
methamphetamine are stimulated
movement and speech, feelings of
excitement and euphoria, increased
energy, decreased appetite, nausea,
lack of sleep, irritability,
nervousness, increased blood
pressure and heart rate, pounding
heart sensation, palpitations, hot
flashes, dry mouth, sweating, and
burns on fingers from covering the
vent hole of the "ice" pipe.
"The tricky thing about this drug is
that it enhances the person's ability
to believe they can stop," Sanders
said.
Choices for Change has seen
clients in their late 50s who are, or
have been, addicted to meth.
"I think a lot of older people who
got hooked did it to stay focused at
work or lose weight," he said. "You
can get addicted to this drug the first
time it is used."
Sanders' advice for parents who
think their child may be using meth
is to stay away.
"This is a series of decisions that
the child has made for probably a
couple of months now. Parents are
probably the most inappropriate
people to help because they are much
too close."
He said parents are more likely to
give in if their child asks for money
to pay off a dealer or believe them
when they say they will never do it
again.
"[Someone using meth] needs
serious help. There are some
medications people can use that help
deal with the rabid hunger and 'they
should check themselves into a detox
centre," he suggested.
Pellizzari said this is a popular
drug with many people, not just
youth.
"It's popular in the gay community
with men who are experimenting
with sex, on the rave scene and
homeless youth," she said. "People
who use it as a sexual enhancer can
be exposed to HIV -AIDS as well as
other sexually transmitted diseases
and infections."
Crystal meth has created
widespread concern among public
health officials leading to an attack
from many different directions, such
as restricting easy access to the
ingredients. Farmers and rural
residents, on the front line of this
battle, can help by being vigilant.0
FEBRUARY 2006 21