Drug and alcohol addiction and abuse. Recognition. Prevention. Treatment
20/20 Parenting. Recognizing and mitigating early vulnerabilities and risk factors.
Kerry’s Journal
Reflections, Experiences, Shared Vision
August 11, 2005
I received a call from CBC TV Toronto this morning to ask if I would be willing to respond to our federal government’s announcement today for increased penalties for possession, trafficking, importation, exportation and production of methamphetamine. The maximum penalty for production and distribution of methamphetamine has increased from 10 years to life in prison. Of course I said, “YES!”
In short I am both glad for these changes AND concerned that it will force the addicted users to go into producing their own supply once the law has reduced availability resulting in the drug prices going up. Recipes are available on the internet (they all know this) and production for one person is easy; supplies and equipment take the space of a box, hence the RCMP term “box labs”. These labs are easier to conceal and to move quickly for eluding police.
My concern is that these amateur “cooks” (either high and lacking accuracy in judgment or physically sick with withdrawal symptoms such as twitching) will make cooking mistakes resulting in worse physical and brain damage and more deaths.
Then there is the issue of by-product toxic waste, albeit in smaller more broadly spread quantities yet being regularly dumped into our septic and sewer systems, and the lab-produced airborne toxins in residences shared by children and other residents becoming more prevalent, threatening to harm many others.
Not only this but individuals needing such small supplies in precursor chemicals make it extremely difficult for retail stores to detect suspicious purchases.
Washington has seen a huge increase in box labs in the last few years and have told us repeatedly to expect the same here: State of WA 1994: 54 labs uncovered …in 2002: 1,400 labs uncovered! 1
Consequently we must also focus on providing effective treatment, early drug education as well as early prevention of the risk factors for drug use, this latter being the main focus of 20/20 Parenting.
And it will take all of us to do our part.
FIRSTLY: It is crucial that we all become better educated so that we can be there for our own, and each others children in case they somehow get caught by this insidious drug.
SECONDLY: We need to be observant of what is going on in our own neighborhoods, reporting suspicious activity of any kind.
THIRDLY: We need to be writing to our government officials asking for more detox beds for youths and more long-term treatment/rehabilitation centres.
Source:
1. May 5, 2005, Corporal Scott Rintoul, RCMP Drug Awareness Service, Vancouver, PowerPoint presentation.
Kerry Jackson
