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| Press Releases: New UN report highlights shift towards new drugs and new markets |
 23 June 2010 – Amphetamine-type stimulants and prescription medications are increasingly becoming the drugs of choice globally, according to a new United Nations report, which also notes that drug use has stabilized in developed nations while it seems to be rising in the developing world.
The World Drug Report 2010, launched today by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), says that the number of users of synthetic drugs – estimated at around 30 to 40 million people worldwide – will soon exceed the number of users of opiates and cocaine combined.
“We will not solve the world drugs problem if we simply push addiction from cocaine and heroin to other addictive substances – and there are unlimited amounts of them, produced in mafia labs at trivial costs,” warned UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa.
The agency noted in a news release that the market for amphetamine-type stimulants is harder to track because of short trafficking routes, and the fact that many of the raw materials are both legal and readily available. Manufacturers are quick to market new products, such as ketamine and mephedrone, and exploit new markets.
“These new drugs cause a double problem,” noted Mr. Costa. “First, they are being developed at a much faster rate than regulatory norms and law enforcement can keep up. Second, their marketing is cunningly clever, as they are custom-manufactured so as to meet the specific preference in each situation.”
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Posted by cryadmin on Thursday, June 24
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| Press Releases: 1 in 5 U.S. high schoolers taking medicines without prescriptions: CDC |
 ATLANTA - A new report shows one in five high school students in the United States have taken a prescription drug that they didn't get from a doctor.
The abused drugs include pain pills and attention deficit drugs used as study aids.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that the drug use was most common among 12th graders. White students took the drugs more than blacks or Hispanics.
The CDC did not have information on which drugs were abused the most.
The findings released Thursday come from a 2009 confidential and anonymous survey of more than 16,000 U.S. high school students. This was the first year students were asked about prescription drug abuse.
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Posted by cryadmin on Monday, June 07
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| Press Releases: Low brain serotonin transporter levels in ecstasy users |
| TORONTO, May 18 /CNW/ - Levels of the serotonin transporter are low in the brains of users of ecstasy, according to a US National Institute of Drug Abuse-funded study by Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) published today in the journal Brain.
Ecstasy (mdma) is a stimulant drug widely used recreationally that is also being tested in clinical trials for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Led by Dr. Stephen Kish at CAMH, this study provides confirmation of a previous finding from Johns Hopkins University that levels of the serotonin transporter (SERT) are low in cerebral cortex of chronic ecstasy users. The subjects were "typical" ecstasy users who used about two tablets of the drug twice a month.
SERT is a protein responsible for regulating levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter important for mood and impulse control. Ecstasy interacts with SERT to cause the release of serotonin, an action that probably explains some of the behavioral effects of the drug such as increased sociability.
Scientists have long suspected that ecstasy might harm brain cells that use serotonin, but 12 years of brain scan studies have produced contradictory results, even within the same laboratory.
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Posted by cryadmin on Tuesday, May 18
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| Press Releases: UN DRUG CZAR URGES CANADA TO TAKE ACTION |
| Gangs Seen As Global Suppliers Of Ecstasy, Amphetamines
WASHINGTON -- The United Nations' drug czar is urging Canada to take action on a UN report that identifies Canadian gangs as the leading suppliers of ecstasy in North America and increasingly proficient producers of methamphetamine for markets around the world.
"Canada has emerged an important hub for ecstasy and amphetamines," Antonio Maria Costa told a news conference Wednesday in the U.S. capital as he released the agency's 2009 World Drug Report.
Costa said the lucrative underground industry of manufacturing amphetamines has migrated north to Canada since both the U.S. and Mexico banned the chemical precursors used to make the drugs.
"These important measures taken by countries inevitably tend to create a problem somewhere else unless similar measures are undertaken," he said.
"So I am inviting Canada to be equally proactive in taking the measures which are preventive strikes to avoid the proliferation of manufacturing of amphetamines in that country."
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Posted by cryadmin on Thursday, June 25
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| Press Releases: KEEPING AN EYE OUT FOR METH - NB |
 Local Police Are Being Proactive In Stopping The Problem Before It Starts
Methamphetamines have yet to make a strong presence in the region, but law enforcement officials are keeping a sharp lookout for the highly addictive drug.
The RCMP issued a press release on May 7, warning high school and university students in the Fredericton area to be aware of drug dealers selling meth as other drugs, particularly ecstasy.
"While ecstasy and meth are both very dangerous drugs, meth is especially addictive and deadly," Sgt. Mary Ann MacNeil wrote in the release. MacNeil is a member of the RCMP's Drugs and Organized Crime Awareness Services.
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Posted by cryadmin on Thursday, May 21
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| Press Releases: METH SEIZURES ON THE RISE IN N.B. |
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Methamphetamines Highly Addictive, Linked To Violence
Methamphetamine seizures are on the rise in New Brunswick and that's not a good thing, according to police.
Wayne Jeffery, a Vancouver-based forensic drug expert who retired after more than 30 years as a police officer, says meth is one of the most addictive drugs a person can take, trailing only heroin. And people hooked on meth are prone to violence, both because of the psychological effects of the drug and the junkies' desperation to get their next fix.
"The user is addicted before he knows it," says Jeffery. "He thinks he's in control of himself when he's not and, by the time he's out of control, it's already too late."
Coming from Vancouver, which has a rampant meth problem, Jeffery has seen the consequences of this drug first-hand.
"There are lots of clandestine laboratories in B.C. and it's getting worse and worse on a yearly basis," he says. "There's a lot of violence that comes with meth."
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Posted by cryadmin on Wednesday, March 25
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| Press Releases: Meth Education is Part of the Solution to Gangland Warfare |
 March 6, 2008. Victoria, BC.- A recent Crystal Meth Society of BC (CMBC) school survey shows that one out of every five B.C. students knows of someone using crystal meth and four percent admit to using the drug.
These are some of the disturbing statistics presented by CMBC Executive Director Mark
McLaughlin at an address today to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Standing
Committee on Community Safety and Crime Prevention.
The escalation of gangland warfare fuelled by the drug trade in B.C. was voiced as a
concern by members of the Standing Committee.
"Youth awareness and prevention programs reduce crime in our communities," confirmed
Randy Goulden, Chair of FCM's Standing Committee on Community Safety and Crime
Prevention. "These survey results demonstrate the need for continued resources to direct youth
away from drugs and gangs."
“More effort is needed on the prevention side to stop youth from becoming involved in
drugs,” said McLaughlin. “This is, without a doubt, part of the solution to combating drugs and
gangs in B.C. The survey results show just how easy it is to get drugs like crystal meth and
ecstasy and an alarming lack of knowledge about how easy it is to slip into using them.”
Of the 2715 students surveyed over 40 per cent showed a lack of understanding about
how drug dealers get you hooked.
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Posted by cryadmin on Tuesday, March 10
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| Press Releases: REPORT: Lower Mainland 2 Day Tour: Feb 18 – 19, 2009 |
REPORT: Lower Mainland 2 Day Tour: Feb 18 – 19, 2009
TOTAL Audience this report: 930 students. Grand total: 40,962.
School Honoraria to Society: $800 School Tour Cost: $955
Wed. Feb. 18th – Surrey SD36
12noon. – Bell Centre - Sullivan Heights Secondary School. Gr. 10-12 - 300 students.
Wed. Feb. 18th – Vancouver
3:00pm – Union Gospel mission. 25 Guests
Thur. Feb. 19 – Langley SD35
9:00am. – R.E. Mountain Secondary School. Gr. 8-9. - 65 students.
Thur. Feb. 19 - Delta SD37
1:30pm. - Delview Secondary School. Gr. 8-10 - 420 students.
Thanks to District staff and teachers, and to White Rock RCMP Cst. Janelle Canning, and Delta Police Cst. Leisa Schaefer and Cst. Kevin Hilliard, and to members Barb Westlake and Ian Tyzzer of the South Fraser Family Court & Youth Justice Committee for attendance and participation.
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Other Meth Show Presentations:
Sat. Jan. 31 – Mill Bay, Vancouver Island
10:30am. – Brentwood College Secondary School. Gr. 10. - 100 students
Mon. Feb. 9th & Feb. 23 – North Delta and Ladner
6:30pm – Boys & Girls Club. 20 Girls.
Presentations by Univ. of Victoria Student Nurses on practicum placement with the Crystal Meth Society of BC. January through March 2009
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Posted by cryadmin on Tuesday, February 24
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| Press Releases: CENTRE OFFERS LONG-TERM ADDICTION TREATMENT FOR YOUTH |
| KEREMEOS – A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held today to mark a construction milestone at British
Columbia’s first long-term residential treatment centre for youth challenged by addiction.
The event at The Crossing at Keremeos was held to celebrate the completion of Ashnola
Lodge, a residential building that will provide accommodation for 20 youth, along with space for
programs. The first clients will start arriving in early 2009, while construction on other buildings and
amenities for the 42-bed centre is on schedule for completion by May 2009.
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Posted by cryadmin on Saturday, January 24
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| Press Releases: CMBC: 3,152 Students see Meth Info Show in SD52 & 82 - Prince Rupert - Terrace |
| REPORT: SD52 & 82: Prince Rupert - Terrace - Kitimat
5 Day Tour: Nov 24 - 28, 2008
TOTAL Audience this tour: 3,152 students over 13 Shows.
Grand total: 38,172 persons.
Mon. Nov. 24th - SD52 Prince Rupert
10:30am - Charles Hay Secondary School. Gr.8-10. - 300 students.
7pm. - Public Evening Show - Lester Performing Arts - 12 guests.
Tue. Nov. 25th - SD52 Prince Rupert
10:30am - Prince Rupert Secondary Sch. - 300 students.
Wed. Nov. 26th - SD82 Terrace
9:30am - Parkside Secondary Sch. Alt. - 60 students.
11:10am - Skeena Junior Secondary Sch. Gr. 8,9,10 - 275 students.
12:55am - Skeena Junior Secondary Sch. Gr. 8,9,10 - 275 students.
4:30pm - Train the Trainer teaching session. 5 Guests, comprising 2 school district counsellors, 2 drug & alcohol counsellors, and a local entrepreneur.
Thur. Nov. 27th - SD82 Terrace
9am - Caledonia School at REM Lee Theatre - 500 students.
10:30am - All local Gr. 6-7 Elementary schools at REM Lee Theatre - 500 students.
2pm - Thornhill Junior School - 200 students.
7pm - Public Community Show - Tillicum Twin Theatres - 55 Guests.
Fri. Nov. 28th - SD82 Kitimat
10:15am - Mount Elizabeth Senior Sec. Sch. - Gr. 11-12. 190 Students.
12:15am - Mt. Elizabeth Senior Sec. Sch. - Gr. 8,9,10. 485 Students.
Thanks to:
RCMP Cpl. Clinton D.H. Lange - Terrace, and Cst. Dave Fahlman - Kitimat
who supportively attended Meth Info Show presentations in their jurisdictions.
Media requests included Astral Media, CFTK Radio and Television, the Daily News, Terrace Standard and Northern Sentinel print media,
Special thanks to Leah Robinson, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, SD52 Prince Rupert, Carla Gillis, SD82 Terrace Liasion, Gregg Drury for outstanding logistical assistance, and to District administration and staff for their support throughout.
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Posted by cryadmin on Sunday, November 30
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