This wasn't a high school "scare kids off drugs" lecture, it was straight facts.

I knew that crystal meth, more commonly referred to simply as "meth,-glass" or "ice," was a scary drug. But I thought it was just another drug of the decade like Heroin was in the '70s, Cocaine in the '80s and Ecstasy in the '90s. Unlike most drugs, which depend on gradual addiction, meth relies on rapid addiction. It is the drug dealer's dream: cheap and easy to make and brutally addictive. Many other drugs are now being laced with meth to cut costs and increase addiction.

It's a drug that rapidly sneaks into communities behind the backs of authorities who are too busy worrying about the common drugs on the street. Until recently, meth wasn't even considered a class A drug in many parts of the world. The growing epidemic and deeper understanding of its properties has changed that. It is now not only a class A drug, it is THE class A drug. Its addictive qualities are on a scale that we have never seen in previous drugs. Youth worker Les Twentyman stated, "Heroin is nothing compared to this stuff."

It has overtaken cocaine, heroine and ecstasy to become the most widely used hard drug in the U.S., and it is now conquering Canada, moving west to east. Frighteningly, it is already finding a welcoming reception in New Brunswick.

In 2005, police discovered meth destined specifically for the Quebec and New Brunswick market. By 2006, New Brunswick was already being used as an initial location for trafficking to other destinations.

The way meth works is what makes it a real life-destroyer. It targets the central nervous system, telling the brain to release dopamine, causing a sense of euphoria. Gradually, it destroys the brain's ability to transport or store dopamine on its own. The down feeling when coming off a meth high is enough to make the user crave more and in increased doses to get back to the original high state. A user may go from 5 mg dosages to 1,000 mg in a one-year period.

"Once addicted, users struggle to feel pleasure without the drug, and after quitting, they battle depression and cravings for years." This frequently sends users back to the drug.

Advanced addicts often develop psychosis, violent behaviour, and suffer internal organ damage, skin breakdown, dental decay and sexual impairment. Google "pictures of meth users" if you want a real scare. Be warned, it's not pretty.

Drug dealers like meth because it is made from ingredients that are mostly accessible over the counter. Meth labs can be easily set up in houses, apartments, garages or trailers deep in the woods. This makes cracking down on meth more difficult than other hard drugs.

The RCMP reported to have seized 40 meth labs across Canada in 2004, an increase of 2000 per cent since 1998, when only two labs were seized. This is just the beginning.

Because of its development process, meth enters communities in much greater amounts than other drugs. It's not just big cities finding themselves with meth epidemics, small towns are also being targeted.

The fact that it's growing in popularity in New Brunswick right now should set off alarm bells and attract political and media campaigns.

"In 2002, in New Brunswick, 10.9 per cent of people age 12 to 18 had used amphetamines at least once during the 12 months preceding the survey. In Nova Scotia, the figure was 9.3 per cent." What would this year's statistics state?

Most of the current statistics available on meth come from the U.S. and other countries. If this issue isn't taken more seriously, we will likely end up with a problem far beyond our control. Drugs have always been big business, but meth has taken a quick grip on our youth due to its rapidity of addiction. If this is the new direction of the narcotics business model, the next step may be a drug causing instant, full-blown addiction.

We need to get a dialogue on the meth problem going now so that we can develop a plan to combat its growing impact. The methamphetamine summit that took place in Ontario this month is a promising start, but what is being done in New Brunswick specifically?