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Methamphetamine: A threat to all of us - By JOHN WALTERS. Thursday, August 4, 2005 Globe and Mail

Recent stories in The Globe and Mail have described a situation that readers in the United States find all too familiar: communities grappling with the problem of methamphetamine addiction. This deadly drug is breaking up families, destroying lives, and ravaging neighbourhoods both north and south of our shared border.

As in Canada, methamphetamine in the U.S. evolved as a regional problem confined to the West and has gradually spread eastward. There is little cross-border traffic in this drug; rather, methamphetamine is produced in both of our communities and threatens both of our nations.

In Canada and the U. S., methamphetamine is increasingly produced in small labs in rural areas. Many of the ingredients that go into its manufacture can be found at local convenience, drug and hardware stores. They're found in such medication as Sudafed and other medicines containing pseudoephedrine, as well as in acetone, rubbing alcohol, iodine, starter fluid, drain cleaner, batteries, paint thinner, and propane. Because of the volatility of the chemicals and a toxicity of the processes involved, these labs pose a litany of dangers to surrounding communities - from the high risk of explosion to the environmental devastation caused by the dumping of waste chemicals.

Too often, children are found living in or near these lab sites and are exposed to severe health consequences. With 10,000 labs seized per year in the United States and cleanup costs averaging $3,000 to $4,000 per site, methamphetamine production also strains scarce law-enforcement resources.

The only aspect of methamphetamine more destructive than its manufacture is its use. According to the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, meth, whether taken orally, nasally, intravenously, or by smoking, causes neurological damage, irritability, insomnia, confusion, tremors, convulsions, anxiety, paranoia, and aggressiveness. At its worst, meth use can result in hyperthermia, convulsions, stroke, cardiovascular collapse, and death.

There is hope, however, and an opportunity for both citizen groups and local government to make a difference. In both of our countries, citizens have taken action against methamphetamine and its related dangers. In the United States, the Meth Watch movement began when communities in Kansas engaged in partnerships with retailers to prevent the use of commercially available products in meth labs. Since then, the Meth Watch model has spread to many other U.S. states and, pioneered by the citizens of Maple Ridge, B. C., has taken root in Canada. Grassroots action by concerned Canadians has taken other forms as well, such as the recently-launched Crystal Meth Victoria Society, which is dedicated to stopping crystal methamphetamine use among youth.

In addition to these volunteer-community and private-sector measures, many U.S. states have already enacted laws regulating products containing pseudoephedrine. These laws usually require customers to sign a logbook and abide by monthly purchasing limits. These measures can prevent meth-makers from purchasing large quantities of pseudoephedrine products in anonymity and deter diversion of the drug from discount or convenience stores that lack pharmacies, yet still present necessary access to needed medications.

Recently, Canadian government officials have spoken out in favour of similar restrictions on retail sales of pseudoephedrine. By promulgating new chemical control regulations in 2003 and launching aggressive law-enforcement investigations, Canada has already dealt a serious blow to bulk pseudoephedrine diversion. Operation Northern Star, which culminated in the arrests of more than 65 individuals in 10 cities throughout the United States and Canada by the DEA and RCMP, put the worst pseudoephedrine traffickers out of business and changed the landscape of meth production of the U.S. It reduced by three-quarters the number of meth "super labs" seized in the United States between 2001 and last year. The arrests were the result of an 18-month international investigation targeting the illegal importation of pseudoephedrine. And, just this past June, law enforcement officers from the U.S. and Canada gathered at a meth strategy conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, to share experiences and best practices in the fight against this threat to our communities.

Of course, combatting consumption of meth has to be part of any comprehensive approach. The best measure is to prevent citizens from becoming addicted to this devastating drug through prevention, education, and early intervention. For those who do suc*****b, however, hope lies in the fact that methamphetamine addiction, like many other brain diseases, is treatable.

In both Canada and the U.S., drug courts offer alternative sentences to addicts, providing treatment instead of incarceration. Not only can treatment be more cost-effective than prison for addicts, it also, through the coercive power of drug courts, can significantly reduce the chances of relapse. In the United States, meth-specific treatment programs like the "Matrix Model," developed by UCLA's Integrated Substance Abuse Program/Matrix Institute, have been proven effective.

The promise held by treatment is apparent on both sides of the border and is reflected in the decisions of both Canadian and U.S. leaders. The U.S. government now dedicates more than $3-billion a year to drug treatment and related research. In Canada, provincial governments are focusing on treatment as an effective response to rising methamphetamine addiction. Alberta, for example, has passed laws that enhance treatment capacities in major cities and that give parents the legal authority to compel their drug-addicted children to enroll in drug treatment programs. Such steps give addicts the chance to defeat the demons of addiction and begin their lives anew.

The Western Premier's Conference in May concluded that methamphetamine addiction is among the worst public-health problems facing Canada today. This problem does not stop at the border - it is a burden we both share. We applaud the initiative taken by provincial leaders to develop strategies to combat meth production and abuse in Canada. The United States is engaged in similar efforts, from state and local initiatives to the development of the National Synthetics Drug Action Plan, released last October. The U.S. stands with Canada in combatting this threat to our families, friends, and communities. By working together and sharing our best practices, we can find common solutions to a shared problem.

John P. Walters is director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.