Binky
01-27-2006, 01:42 PM
Friday, January 27, 2006
Meth-laced pot a huge problem, experts say
Police, doctors say doctored dope is getting common
John Colebourn
The (Vancouver) Province
It's buyer beware when it comes to B.C. bud.
Both police and a leading psychiatrist said yesterday they are beginning to see evidence of marijuana laced with highly addictive crystal meth.
Dr. Bill MacEwan's advice? "Know your supplier. Know where the pot is coming from."
MacEwan, a psychiatrist at St. Paul's Hospital who also heads the schizophrenia program in the psychiatry department at the University of B.C., says he's seeing patients who claim they only smoke marijuana but in whose systems crystal meth is found.
Other doctors working in drug treatment have told him they're also seeing strung-out patients who have smoked meth-laced pot, MacEwan says.
Knowing that pot is being laced with crystal meth is worrisome for those in the health-care field, he notes.
"For a lot of people, it could take them by surprise," he says.
Meth is being added to pot because of its addictive qualities, MacEwan says.
"Drug dealers hypothetically are trying to get people hooked, and crystal meth is a chemical addiction," he says. "You develop a market when they're hooked on your product."
For some, MacEwan adds, it's more tempting to try crystal meth when it's mixed in with pot -- "a more passive way to try crystal meth," he says.
The health risks of smoking the combined drugs can be serious or even fatal, MacEwan notes. "You're not only getting high. It increases your heart rate, it makes you very agitated, you go sleepless and have anxiety," he says.
Delta Police Const. Kim Sheridan says police in that city are now warning the public about the problem.
"We've received information through a variety of sources that this is happening," says Sheridan.
"We want to get the word out there that this type of lacing marijuana with crystal meth is happening throughout the Lower Mainland."
Sheridan says the laced pot may look the same but once smoked will have a much different effect: "They are creating a new generation of addicts."
Cpl. Scott Rintoul of the RCMP Drug and Organized Crime Awareness Service says that recently a North Vancouver youth told RCMP he knew he was getting pot that had crystal meth in it.
Crystal meth sells cheaply and can be made from ingredients available at local drug and hardware stores. It causes serious health problems, including psychosis that follows a user's going days without sleep.
To air the menace of crystal meth, the solicitor-general's office is sponsoring a series of public forums. The last will be held in Prince George on Feb. 2 at the University of Northern B.C.
Contact: provletters@png.canwest.com
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=82e58213-6a9a-4ab9-bfe3-9b4894296902
Meth-laced pot a huge problem, experts say
Police, doctors say doctored dope is getting common
John Colebourn
The (Vancouver) Province
It's buyer beware when it comes to B.C. bud.
Both police and a leading psychiatrist said yesterday they are beginning to see evidence of marijuana laced with highly addictive crystal meth.
Dr. Bill MacEwan's advice? "Know your supplier. Know where the pot is coming from."
MacEwan, a psychiatrist at St. Paul's Hospital who also heads the schizophrenia program in the psychiatry department at the University of B.C., says he's seeing patients who claim they only smoke marijuana but in whose systems crystal meth is found.
Other doctors working in drug treatment have told him they're also seeing strung-out patients who have smoked meth-laced pot, MacEwan says.
Knowing that pot is being laced with crystal meth is worrisome for those in the health-care field, he notes.
"For a lot of people, it could take them by surprise," he says.
Meth is being added to pot because of its addictive qualities, MacEwan says.
"Drug dealers hypothetically are trying to get people hooked, and crystal meth is a chemical addiction," he says. "You develop a market when they're hooked on your product."
For some, MacEwan adds, it's more tempting to try crystal meth when it's mixed in with pot -- "a more passive way to try crystal meth," he says.
The health risks of smoking the combined drugs can be serious or even fatal, MacEwan notes. "You're not only getting high. It increases your heart rate, it makes you very agitated, you go sleepless and have anxiety," he says.
Delta Police Const. Kim Sheridan says police in that city are now warning the public about the problem.
"We've received information through a variety of sources that this is happening," says Sheridan.
"We want to get the word out there that this type of lacing marijuana with crystal meth is happening throughout the Lower Mainland."
Sheridan says the laced pot may look the same but once smoked will have a much different effect: "They are creating a new generation of addicts."
Cpl. Scott Rintoul of the RCMP Drug and Organized Crime Awareness Service says that recently a North Vancouver youth told RCMP he knew he was getting pot that had crystal meth in it.
Crystal meth sells cheaply and can be made from ingredients available at local drug and hardware stores. It causes serious health problems, including psychosis that follows a user's going days without sleep.
To air the menace of crystal meth, the solicitor-general's office is sponsoring a series of public forums. The last will be held in Prince George on Feb. 2 at the University of Northern B.C.
Contact: provletters@png.canwest.com
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=82e58213-6a9a-4ab9-bfe3-9b4894296902