Crystal Meth: The Dance of Death

We live in a society where faster is better. From instant noodles to fast food, high-speed computers to rapid transit, speed has become an important part of our culture.

Physically, many find it hard to keep up to our modern, frenetic pace. So they take over-the-counter pep pills, down loads of caffeinated colas or drink triple Mocha Latts with giga-jolts of caffeine.

When these no longer work, some turn to more effective stimulant drugs. Why not, they're fast and they're potent, right? Yes, but they're also unsafe. They are a complex group of chemicals with one thing in common: the ability to wreck your life.

Ironically named speed, methamphetamine gives many the added energy they crave. Not only are more people using it, they're using the most potent and hyper-charged form: crystal meth. This drug, as cheap as it is toxic, has become the remedy of choice for a new generation of speed chasers.

A 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey measured the use of speed in Canadians aged 15 and older. Results show that 6.4% of respondents reported using methamphetamines at least once in their life.

Another survey involving four B.C. school districts showed that up to 8% of students in grades 6-12 report having tried crystal meth in the 2005 school year.

Combined, these might not be earth-shattering statistics, but experts state that 90 percent of users are addicted after the first hit. Even one use of crystal meth can cause immediate, lasting physical and mental damage.

Still, such advice deters few. They smoke it, snort it, pop it or shoot it. Yet many don't understand what's in it. The folks who cook their meth aren't exactly government approved pharmacists. They are more likely to be sleazy individuals huddled over a bathtub mixing their poisonous brew in filthy conditions.

Lethal ingredients

An August 2004 CBC News article stated that clandestine labs have been found in homes, garages, motel rooms and even vehicles in middle class neighbourhoods. Meth can be manufactured in a short period of time, with a modest amount of materials. Basic ingredients from chemicals, solvents and equipment can be purchased in many stores.

Unlike legal drugs, the illicit type has no quality control, so users can never be sure of strength or purity. Ingredients vary in combination and are never exactly the same, says the Canadian Aids Society. Ephedrine (from over-the counter cold medicine), Drano, battery acid, insecticides,

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