On Sept. 19, 2006, a task force looking into what's been called a crystal-meth crisis in Alberta released its report, calling for more treatment and prevention programs, as well as for tougher penalties for meth-related crimes.

The 83 recommendations also include more addiction counsellors in schools, a province-wide advertising campaign and more specialized police units.

Alberta isn't alone in dealing with the problem of crystal meth. According to the RCMP, 40 meth labs were seized across the country in 2004. The greatest numbers were reported in B.C., followed by Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec and Saskatchewan.

Experts say that crystal meth is no longer just a western problem; it's moving east, with drug treatment centres in Toronto and Montreal noticing a recent surge in cases.

What is amphetamine?

Amphetamine (scientific name a-methylphenthylamine) is a synthetic drug that stimulates the heart and respiration, constricts blood vessels and induces sleeplessness. It was originally marketed as Benzedrine in North America in the 1920s and in the U.K. in the mid-'30s for suppressing appetite or preventing narcolepsy.

Amphetamines were available over the counter and quickly became a favorite street drug known as "pep pills" or "Bennies."

The United States air force used it during the Second World War to keep pilots awake on long missions. There were reports that it was one of the drugs used in "brainwashing" by the Communists in the 1950s, and it was also used as a performance-enhancing drug by athletes.

In most countries, amphetamine was severely restricted beginning in the 1950s and is available by prescription, in restricted amounts, for narcolepsy and to control weight. A number of chemical cousins in the amphetamine group are used in low doses for the treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder.

How does amphetamine work?

Crystal methamphetamine

Amphetamine increases the amount of dopamine in the brain. In very low doses, used for ADD, the amphetamine family stimulates the brain but actually slows down the patient, increasing attention spans and decreasing impulsivity. Slightly higher doses can cause decreased hunger and bring on weight loss.

Negative effects include disturbed sleep patterns and loss of REM dreaming sleep, hyperactivity, nausea, delusions of power, increased aggressiveness and irritability. Long-term negative effects, in high doses, can include heart, liver, kidney and lung damage.

What is methamphetamine?

Methamphetamine is a chemical variation, one that has a much stronger effect on the central nervous system than the original drug.

Methamphetamine, in low doses, can be used to treat ADD, narcolepsy and, for short periods of time, obesity.

In higher doses, it is more addictive than the original drug and has a greater "rush" for the recreational or addicted user, followed by increased agitation and possibly violence in some individuals.

How does methamphetamine work?

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, methamphetamine releases much higher levels of dopamine than the original drug.

It became a common street drug known as "speed" in the 1960s, usually taken in pill form, but lost popularity after a number of incidents that spread the warning that "speed kills."

"Meth" was not a drug of choice through much of the 1970s and 1980s. In the late 1980s, a smokable, crystal form was created, perhaps in Asia, and then surfaced in California in the 1990s. It has increased in popularity among drug users in the past decade-and-a-half.

The low-dose prescription form is known as Dexedrine or Desoxynl and is generally used to treat ADD. It is not recommended for patients with high blood pressure or with a previous history of addiction or alcoholism.

After it is taken in oral form, methamphetamine stimulates brain cells, which in turn initially enhances mood. The user experiences increased wakefulness and physical activity, and decreased appetite. For some patients, even low doses can be addictive.

With street-level and higher doses of methamphetamine, especially if it is smoked or injected, the user immediately experiences an intense "rush" (also called a "flash") that causes intense pleasure but only lasts a few minutes. Users can become addicted and dependent quickly, needing more and higher doses as the addiction progresses.

In street and high doses, methamphetamine causes irritability, insomnia, confusion, hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia and increased aggression. In even higher doses, hypothermia and convulsions can cause death.

When the body is stimulated by methamphetamine, the drug can cause irreversible damage. The increased heart rate and blood pressure damage blood vessels in the brain, which can cause strokes, or irregular heart beat, which can cause cardiovascular collapse and death. By vastly increasing the release of dopamine, methamphetamine appears to damage brain cells, eventually actually reducing the amount of dopamine available to the brain, causing symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease and severe depression, or both.

What is crystal meth?

Crystal meth is one street form of the drug, methamphetamine hydrochloride, which comes in clear, chunky crystals, which are then inhaled or smoked. It is also called "ice," "crystal," "glass" and "tina."

Crystal meth can be easy to produce in small, clandestine labs, sometimes in a kitchen or bathroom, by mixing a cocktail of about 15 substances, mostly pseudoephedrine (a cold remedy), red phosphorous and iodine, but also including ammonia, paint thinner, ether, Drano and the lithium from batteries.

Police say an investment of about $150 can yield up to $10,000 worth of the drug.

But the resulting drug is often impure and the manufacturing process can be dangerous and cause fires.

Crystal meth has become the most widespread and popular form of the drug, largely because it is so easy to make that anyone can set up a lab (instructions are widespread on the World Wide Web), but also because motorcycle gangs, which are becoming dominant in organized drug trafficking, usually sell the drug.

What is crank?

"Crank" is a smelly, yellow form of "meth" that is usually snorted. Crank is usually the cheapest form of the drug.

What is lith?

"Lith" is short for the lithium taken from batteries in the manufacturing process. Lith comes in a paste form that is usually smoked. It is more expensive than crank but cheaper than the crystal form.

Who uses crystal meth?

According to mental health workers, police and research scientists, the people who use crystal meth include:

• Large numbers of rural and small town poor across North America.
• Some young people in the rave and dance scene.
• Some young people who want to lose weight.
• Gay males involved in the dance scene or who frequent bathhouses.

Addiction experts say crystal meth first became popular in poor areas of rural North America for a number of reasons. It was a cheap high and, in initial stages of use, it actually gave the energy that allowed the user to keep working. It was also considered "cool" by young people who did not have big-city connections to other street drugs.

A recent Statistics Canada survey of teenagers showed that among those who answered questions about drug use:

• 34 per cent had tried marijuana.
• 4 per cent had used ecstasy.
• 3 per cent had used crack cocaine.
• 2 per cent had used crystal meth.
• 1 per cent had used heroin.

What is a tweaker?

A "tweaker" is a term for a crystal meth user that came out of the U.S. rural Midwest and has become increasingly common as the media and the entertainment industry picked up the term.

Is there a connection between crystal meth and ecstasy?

Police say that in some areas, crystal meth is replacing ecstasy as the drug used by teenagers and young adults in the rave and dance scene.

In many areas, crystal meth is cheaper, at $10 for a "point" or about one-tenth of a gram. An ecstasy hit, or tablet, can cost twice as much, about $20.

The RCMP say that some of the drugs seized at parties or dances that were sold as ecstasy were, in fact, crystal meth. As well, the police say that some dealers give out "free samples" at parties or in the dance scene, in hopes of hooking new customers.

On the other hand, police and addiction counsellors say that some "street-wise" kids are on to that and try to avoid crystal meth either directly or disguised as ecstasy.

Can an addict recover?

Experts say that crystal meth is one of the most addictive street drugs and one of the hardest to treat. Addiction counsellors say the relapse rate of 92 per cent is worse than cocaine.

The withdrawal symptoms, especially the depression and physical agony, are reported by addiction counsellors to be worse than heroin or cocaine, and often addicts will drop out of recovery programs.

This situation is worse in the United States than in Canada because patients in the U.S. usually have inadequate health insurance or none at all. Those American patients in managed care programs are often cut off before treatment is complete. In Canada, however, provincial health insurance and government recovery programs can help the addict recover.

With increasing use of the drug, there are strong indications that users suffer brain damage, including memory impairment and an increasing inability to grasp abstract thoughts. Those who do manage to recover from addiction and retain memory and the ability to function in society are usually subject to some memory gaps and extreme mood swings.