While we applaud the provincial government's efforts to fund groups like the Crystal Meth Victoria Society to educate students about the dangers of crystal methamphetamine, the bottom line is it amounts to far too little far too late.
Almost two years after the B.C. Liberals promised to address the growing epidemic of meth use during the last provincial election campaign, there's still no plans to address the chronic need for more specialized treatment beds for young people swept away by this virulent plague.
The fact remains that there are only six youth detox treatment beds on southern Vancouver Island, with no specialized care for meth addicts, and no concrete plans to address the shortage.
As former West Shore RCMP Cpl. Brian Kerr notes, when someone caught up in the web of this most insidious drug finally decides they need help, telling them they're on a lengthy wait list only amounts to another missed opportunity that frequently results in another lost soul crying for help, then returning to addiction.
Without the infrastructure in place to deal with treatment -- specialized centres staffed by counsellors with expertise in that specific field aimed at reintroducing addicts into the mainstream -- throwing millions at educational programs only dissuades a percentage of kids from joining the ranks of those whose lives are already ruined.
Considering how cheap, appealing and available meth is for kids compared to other drugs like heroin and cocaine -- a $10 chunk of crystal can keep you in a kite-like state for a day -- the time to start getting treatment centres in place passed about the same time as the drug first started to surface on the West Shore five years ago.
Within a matter of two years, the drug went from something Kerr's West Shore RCMP street crime unit encountered occasionally to something that shows up every day.
Kerr is candid about how often he speaks to parents looking for a way out for their kids. The list of desperate parents begging for help continues to grow across the region each day, and their frustration at no immediate help available is palpable and heartbreaking.
Make no mistake, kids as young as 10 or 11 are getting hooked at an alarming rate, as evidenced by the fact that meth is now ranked as the second most popular drug in the world, that increase fuelled in no small part by the fact that it's so inexpensive.
Although research is so far stunted because meth is a relatively new phenomenon compared to big brothers heroin and cocaine, according to reformed addicts, a couple of times is all it takes to get hooked, with some ranking the risk as high as 90 per cent after the second try.
Foster parent agencies recently issued a frantic plea for more help with babies born to meth-addicted mothers, and have initiated specialized training for prospective parents to deal with the problems specific to those babies.
The wake-up call has been issued, but the government's response so far amounts to little more than lip service.
With a $2 billion surplus gathering dust on the shelf, there's an opportunity for the BC Liberals to wade into the fray and implement a plan that provides help immediately for those making a last, desperate effort to fee themselves from the steely grip of addiction.
Pubdate: Wed, 20 Dec 2006
Source: Goldstream Gazette (Victoria, CN BC)
