IN THE NEWS

Classify it like cocaine

VANCOUVER -- The federal government has increased the maximum penalties for possession, trafficking and production of methamphetamine, also known as crystal meth, or the poor man's cocaine.

The maximum penalty for production and distribution has increased to life in prison from 10 years, the government announced Thursday.

Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said crystal meth causes significant health, social and economic harms to users and communities.

The penalties for methamphetamine offences have been brought in line with those for substances that pose a comparable level of risk to health and safety, such as cocaine, he said.
Justice Minister Irwin Cotler said the most serious cases will be dealt with by a special team of federal prosecutors.

''It is not only a matter of law enforcement, but a matter of the protection of human rights, in particular, the rights of victims,'' he said in a statement. ''The law must therefore not only reflect the seriousness of the offence but its impact on families and communities.''

Earlier this year the federal government proposed adding four substances to a list of controlled chemicals to try and thwart the production of crystal meth. The illegal possession of these so-called precursor chemicals for the purposes of producing a controlled substance such as methamphetamine would become an offence resulting in a fine of up to $5,000, up to three years in prison or both.

Crystal meth is made in small labs by mixing a cocktail of chemicals. The main ingredient is pseudoephedrine, which is found in cold remedies. It is cooked with chemicals easily found at hardware stores, such as red phosphorous, iodine, ammonia, paint thinner and lithium from batteries.

The drug is cheap and highly addictive. It can be snorted, smoked, injected or swallowed. Users often ingest large quantities of crystal meth over several days or even weeks.

Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert, among the premiers who led the fight for increased penalties involving the drug, said the federal government's moves on Thursday will help act as a strong deterrent.

''When you see penalties that would require life imprisonment, the same kind of penalty that you see for the trafficking in heroin, that has to send out a very significant signal,'' Calvert said at the premiers' meeting in Banff, Alta.

''This is not just a Western problem. A few years ago the incidents of crystal meth in the United States were similar to what we're seeing in parts of Canada. Within a matter of three or four years this has become an epidemic.''
Calvert said if Canada acts now, it can prevent the same from happening.

''While we may see more incidents in Western Canada, you can be sure that no matter where we live in Canada, unless we take the action we're taking now, we'll see this become a nationwide problem,'' he added.

Calvert believes the provinces can also do more to combat the problem and said he would be discussing those ideas during the premiers' meeting Thursday.

© Canadian Press 2005