Pubdate: Thu, 27 Mar 2003
Source: Carillon, The (CN MB)
Copyright: 2003 The Carillon
Contact:  http://www.thecarillon.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2340
Author: Peter Dyck
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

CONCERN OVER DRUGS PROMPTS MEETING OF COMMUNITY LEADERS

Nearly three dozen community leaders, among them civic, education, 
business, public health and law enforcement representatives, put their 
heads together last week in Steinbach to look at solutions to deal with 
what is widely seen as a growing drug problem.

Billed as a first meeting to bring together most of the organizations 
working with young people at various levels, last Wednesday's forum was 
called by Mayor Les Magnusson to determine whether a common front can begin 
to address the issue of substance abuse and its effect on individuals and 
the community.

"We're not going to put up with this (problem) in the community," Mayor 
Magnusson told the group of 30 people, all invited by him personally or 
through a hand-delivered letter.

He asked the forum members to speak freely, adding that for this initial 
meeting, their comments and opinions would not be quoted. (Both this 
newspaper and the local radio stations agreed not to put local officials on 
the record for this first session.)

The meeting quickly heard from many of the participants. School officials 
spoke of their ongoing efforts in drug use prevention, assistance to 
offenders and discipline. A nurse told of the victims of overdose treated 
at the local hospital. Several senior RCMP members from the local 
detachment pointed to the difficulty of getting good information on drug 
use by young people.

In the same breath, a youth leader described how an intensive drug-proofing 
program for parents now has nearly a dozen participants while a school 
principal discussed the success of the DARE program, a drug education 
program tailored to elementary school studentsnow in its third 
yeardelivered by specially-trained police officers in uniform.

Drug use by students is a division-wide issue going well beyond Steinbach's 
borders, a school official said, describing the mayor's forum as a 
"wonderful idea."

Police officers noted that while communities often view drug abuse as a 
policing issue, it is one that law enforcement can often only address when 
problems associated with drug use arise.

One officer reiterated what other forum members had earlier mentionedthat 
the issue of drug use is one requiring a wide variety of community 
resources, especially parents.

A senior officer suggested that while there is widespread use of marijuana 
by young people and others in the community, the criminal justice system 
more and more treats recreational marijuana use as a non-criminal act.

One RCMP member said young people tell him marijuana is easier to obtain 
locally than alcohol.

One school official noted the new federal Youth Criminal Justice Act, which 
takes effect April 1, seems to be even softer on young offenders than 
current legislation.

There was also the view from police that some parents in the community have 
not yet accepted the fact their children are drug users. Police further 
pointed out it is difficult to get young people to talk about drug use and 
trafficking because teens don't want to be viewed as an informants because 
of peer pressure.

In response to a question about the harmful use of drugs, one officer said 
while alcohol is a major factor in many criminal acts, users of so-called 
soft drugs like marijuana sometimes move on to dangerous drugs like crack 
cocaine.

He said many local robberies are committed by a handful of individuals 
addicted to hard drugs and desperate for quick cash to feed their habits.

Participants in the forum will meet again in the near future to begin to 
frame a coordinated approach to the problem of drug abuse.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager