Crystal meth use soars in Guelph and Waterloo Region

Crystal meth is replacing crack cocaine as the cheap street drug of choicein Waterloo Region and Guelph, figures from both police forces show.

Between 2012 and 2014, the amount of meth seized by Guelph police increased over 1500 per cent while the amount of cocaine andcrack cocaine dropped over 90 per cent over the same time. In fact, until last month, Guelph was looking at a year without any crack seizures at all, but officialsdid seize a mere 0.13 of gram as of August 27.

It's a profit-motivated crime andthey're dealing poison to our kids.- Det. Sgt. Ben Bair, head of Guelph police's drug unit

In Waterloo Region, drug use is following a similar pattern although the numbers aren't quite as stark as in Guelph. The region saw a 200 per cent increase in meth seized between 2013 and 2014 and a 75 per cent decrease in crack over the same time.

Why methis replacing crack

But why is meth replacing crack? Economics is part of the answer, according to Det. Sgt. Ben Bair, the head of the Guelph Police's drug unit. Bair said they began to notice about three years ago that lots of cocaine suppliers were starting to sell meth too.

"Most of our local suppliers aren't making it locally, at least not in Guelph, but they don't have to import it from other countries such as Central America where much of the cocaine comes from," said Bair. "It takes out a middle man which means that somebody along the way is making higher profits than they were with cocaine. So it's a cheap thing to buy, it provides high profits and it's highly addictive."

Police caution however that the seizure numbers don't necessarily tell the whole story. When drug squads focus on a specific drug, arrests and seizures will naturally go up. Bair cautions that stunning increase in Guelph is at least partly due to police getting a better handle on the situation and making more arrests.

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"It takes some time for the police to recognize that the drug has switched, then develop information on the new drug and its processes and start making arrests and seizures. So the problem was probably actually even larger than that and we've started to catch up to it now," said Bair.

Still, there's no disputing that meth is replacing crack on the streets in the area, especially in Guelph.

Who is using meth

At least some of the drug users are people who would otherwise be using crack, but switched to meth.

"Certainly, with methamphetamine, it is cheaper, it's easier to get, it doesn't come from a source country, it is something that can be made in someone's kitchen. It's very easily accessible," said Shirley Hilton, a staff sergeant in the Waterloo Regional Police Service's drug branch.

But that accessibility and the fact that meth doesn't carry the same stigma as crack does, means that young people are particularly vulnerable.

"One of the effects of methamphetamine that seems to be promoted by traffickers is that it keeps women thin. That seems to be part of the draw to young females," said Bair, who says he sees kids as young as 15 who are addicted.

"Many of these young females that become addicted to methamphetamine get targetedby human traffickers," said Bair, who explained the girls may be given the drugs in order become addicted and then forced into prostitution.Guelph police have madeseveral arrests related to human trafficking in the past year.

Bair has harsh words for the meth dealers who target young people.

"It's a profit-motivated crime and they're dealing poison to our kids and often irreparably wrecking the lives of those that become addicted to this drug," said Bair.

Next: Where is the meth coming from?