This number, which has been increasing each year for which statistics are available, charts a disturbing trend for all people in Canada. One of the most insidious qualities of these drugs is the covert way in which they attack users. Ecstasy appears to be a harmless drug to some. It's often marketed through colourful pills with cheerful designs such as happy faces. Police have found that a significant amount of ecstasy seized from the streets is laced with more dangerous drugs such as crystal meth. When combined, the two can become an addictive, toxic, and dangerous blend. Overdoses are common due to the unregulated nature of the drugs and also to the user's inability to monitor what he or she is actually consuming.
Side effects of methamphetamines are similarly worrisome. A 2007 position paper produced by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre in Australia noted that methamphetamine use has often been associated with violent crime and the drug has a strong reputation for inducing violent behaviour.
The 2004 United Nations report made clear what a scourge these drugs are to youth in our country. Serious health implications resulting from chronic use of these drugs include dependence characterized by compulsive drug seeking and drug use, and a phenomenon known as amphetamine or methamphetamine psychosis, which includes strong hallucinations and delusions. Crystal meth and ecstasy use can translate over the longer term into schizophrenia, a side effect with lasting consequences. Trauma experienced by users includes great physical, psychological and emotional harm. Too many families and communities are being affected by these awful drugs.
In addition to the harm to the individual consumer and his or her community, we legislators should take note of the dangerous environmental aspects of the production of crystal meth and ecstasy. The covert nature of the production process means there's no way to control the quality of the substances produced, the safety of production, or the location. Though large-scale industrial production of these drugs is an increasing reality, the vast amount of crystal meth and ecstasy is still produced in small kitchen-like laboratories.
A 2004 Carleton University report stated that “Versatility is the term that best defines methamphetamine production.” Clandestine laboratories have been found in sites as diverse as private residences, motel rooms, dorm rooms, campgrounds, storage facilities, and almost any other place you could imagine. These laboratories appear innocuous from the outside as they're located in residential neighbourhoods, but they produce toxic waste, up to five kilograms of waste for each kilogram of crystal meth produced. They're also a major fire hazard. A UN report noted that “environmental harm and costs caused by illegal laboratories and their safe removal are considerable”.
Many of our colleagues in the House have expressed to me concerns about the effects of these drugs on people across Canada. However, the marketing of crystal meth and ecstasy transcends Canada's borders and tarnishes our reputation on an international scale. A 2004 UN report entitled, Preventing amphetamine-type stimulant use among young people noted that there is evidence that Canada-based Asian organized crime groups and outlaw motorcycle gangs have significantly increased the amount of methamphetamines they manufacture and export for the U.S. market, also for Oceania and East and Southeast Asia.
The report went on to note that Canada has grown to be the most important producer of ecstasy for North America. Since 2006, all ecstasy laboratories reported in Canada have been of a larger-scale capacity operated principally by Asian organized crime groups.
We have many resources, skills, and commodities to send abroad. How sad that we Canadians must now include crystal meth and ecstasy among our recognized exports. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime also noted in 2009 that Canada is the single largest supplier of ecstasy to the U.S. and a significant supplier of the drug to Japan and Australia.
I welcome this committee's suggestions on how to improve the bill so it can best eliminate crystal meth and ecstasy found on the streets of Canada. I'd also appreciate your input on how to ensure that it moves quickly through this committee and the House, and thus avoid the fate of MP Chris Warkentin's bill, which died in the Senate even though it had received unanimous consent in the House.
I thank you again, Mr. Chair, and I'm more than happy at this time to answer any questions about the bill.