The danger, according to police, is that studies have shown that as little as two exposures to meth result in a 97 per cent chance of addiction.

"We don't know if it's ( meth ) made here or in Calgary," said Cpl. Mike Stourac. "But we have heard of it happening in the area before."

One of the problems with meth, said Banff General Investigations Service Cst. Kevin Misiwich, is that, "everyone has different thresholds for addiction. For some, the first time could mean addiction, for others, three or four times."

Worse yet, says Misiwich, is that there is really no way for a street purchaser to know whether drugs they are using have been cut with meth. "Whenever you're dealing with street-level drugs, they're always cut with something else like baking soda or, in this case, meth.

"In that lifestyle, you are inherently taking a lot of risks and that's why it's so scary for teens, say, or anybody, to be experimenting with ecstasy. A lot of the ingredients of what's in those drugs - ammonium, red sulphur used in matches and flares - are coming from pretty toxic substances.

"People can get a very substantial and addictive high and that's the risk you take."

According to Misiwich, today's meth is the speed of the 1960s, but modern production methods have purified the properties of the drug. "The effect is exponentially increased and may last six to 10 hours, rather than the 15 to 20 minutes of coke."

As far as policework goes, meth users often show signs of high paranoia and can be extremely unpredictable and violent. Police must use a calm approach in apprehension, because even the light from police flashlights can trigger a violent episode.

And the drug is not jurisdictional, said Misiwich. Drugs make their way between Banff and Canmore, so there is always the possibility of purchasing and using meth-cut drugs.