Methamphetamine is not new. Known in the 60s as "speed", it was a common street drug that was usually taken in pill form. But it lost popularity in the 70s and 80s as cocaine became the drug of choice.

In the 1990s, a smokable crystal form was created that surfaced in California and soon spread. A favourite of the rave scene and the gay nightclub culture, crystal meth became known as crank, Tina or by dozens of other names.

Remarkably cheap and easy to make, its popularity appears to be spreading to rural communities with the help of outlaw motorcycle gangs, and organized crime groups.

What is it?

Methamphetamine is a chemical variant of amphetamine but offers much more powerful effects. It can be snorted, smoked, injected, or swallowed and offers a high that lasts eight hours or more.

"The effects in taking it last much, much longer than cocaine," Det. Darcy Strant of the Edmonton Drug Unit recently recently told CTV's Canada AM.

"Cocaine, if you're smoking it, can be a 20-minute, 40-minute high. With methamphetamine, it's anywhere between a four to 16-hour high."

Meth works by releasing high levels of dopamine in the brain, a neurotransmitter that creates a sense of pleasure. Users describe a feeling of euphoria from the drug and a sudden increase in energy.

One Regina user named "Dave" told CTV's Jill Macyshon last spring "It felt like the best feeling I've felt in my entire life."

"It's like your mind's going 1,000 miles faster than it's supposed to," another meth ex-user named Jim told CTV's Todd van der Heyden.

But it is also highly-addictive and tolerance increases with every dose, meaning that users need more of it to get the same high.

"It hooks you pretty quick, I guess. I didn't like doing it but I kept going out and doing it," "Jim" says.

Meth impairs sleep and leaves users with feelings of irritability and paranoia. Users on a binge will often go days without eating or sleeping, leading to the extreme weight loss that characterizes so many users, and often slipping into psychosis.

An addict going through meth withdrawal will experience shaking, nausea and hyperventilating. Over the long term, the drug will destroy nerve cells, resulting in slower motor functions and impaired memory.

Made from cold medicines

Known as "the poor man's cocaine," a "point" of meth -- meaning one-tenth of a gram -- costs a mere $5 to $10 and can last all day – a key reason for its popularity.

It's also remarkably easy to make. Its main ingredient –pseudoephedrine -- can be found in cold medicines in any drug store.

The pseudoephedrine is extracted by boiling down the medicines and then adding readily available chemicals to turn the substance into meth. Those chemicals include red phosphorus (used to make safety matches), ammonia, paint thinner, ether, and lithium from batteries.

But meth labs are also highly dangerous, creating deadly fumes that can cause massive explosions. After a home-based meth lab is raided, the houses is often filled with chemical residues and has to be quarantined or razed.

Problem spreading west to east

The growing problem of home-based meth labs is particularly bad in British Columbia. There, meth addiction is ravaging Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and trickling into the suburbs and the interior.

B.C. drug treatment centres say that crystal meth addiction is now the most often cited addiction by incoming patients.

Alberta noticed such a problem with meth addiction among its youth, it recently passed a law giving parents the power to force their drug-addicted teenaged children into detox. Red Deer North MLA Mary Anne Jablonski introduced the private member's bill after hearing the horror stories of parents with crystal meth-addicted children.

Saskatchewan also has a crystal meth problem, with at least 10 fatal overdoses this year in Saskatoon alone.

And experts say the problem is moving east, with drug treatment centres in Toronto and Montreal noticing a recent surge in cases.

Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert stresses that the meth problem is "not just a Western problem."

"While we have a higher number of incidents in Western Canada, you can be sure -- no matter where we live in Canada -- unless we take the actions we're taking now you will see this become a nationwide issue."

For more information

An educational video about crystal meth is Death by Jib, produced by Kinetic Video of Toronto.