Pubdate: Tue, 03 Jun 2003
Source: Drayton Valley Western Review (CN AB)
Copyright: 2003 Bowes Publishers Limited
Contact:  http://www.draytonvalleywesternreview.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/980
Author: Andy Schoenhofer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

DRUG MAZE FIRST IN ALBERTA

Alberta communities are joining together to find a way out of the drug 
maze. At least that was the hope of local RCMP and its community associates 
at last week's Drug Maze Symposium held at the Omniplex in Drayton Valley.

"If we as the police share our information with each other all the time, 
why can't a community?" said Const. Daryl Scott, one of the organizers of 
the conference. So he and Norma Block, community mobilizer for Building 
Safer Communities, invited groups from Whitecourt, Hinton, Edmonton and 
Camrose to come to Drayton Valley to talk about how they deal with drugs in 
their communities. About 90 people showed up.

"Having a drug symposium in Drayton Valley is not a negative," said Scott. 
"What we're saying is we have identified that drugs are here but we're also 
showing that we're doing something about it."

The major topic for the morning was how to deal with methamphetamine, but 
from the point of view of parents and teachers who have to deal with 
addicts. Law enforcement was left to the police.

School principals, RCMP personnel and community organization members 
described common themes of the increased incidence of drugs in their 
communities, the increasing need for parents and teachers to be able to 
recognize drug users and the need for community groups to work together to 
help those in need.

Kerry Laberge, a Camrose principal and member of the city's drug task 
force, described a drug handbook developed there. It helps parents and 
professionals determine if a youth is using drugs, communicate with a 
person on drugs and assess a youth's risk level. "But presenting prevention 
to kids is the easy part," he said. "The time-consuming part is to assist 
kids to get off meth."

Whitecourt's presentation was given by its local RCMP detachment commander, 
Staff Sgt. Pickered. He said his detachment had gone from handing out 800 
traffic tickets in 2000, to 5,000 in 2001.

"Checking cars and drivers for seatbelts has an effect on the criminal 
element as well," he said. "Also, people do not feel safe without a visible 
policing effort."

At the same time, however, his detachment worked with the town to hire a 
community liaison member to co-ordinate RCMP visits to schools. Const. Beth 
Hoskin often visits schools.

"We need schools to suggest things to RCMP that they can just show up at 
the school, not just for drug education," she said. "We want to develop 
good relationships with kids in schools."

The symposium was the first of its kind in Alberta, and Scott hopes another 
community will organize a meeting like this one in coming years.

"Or maybe Drayton Valley can host it again. The important thing is we keep 
sharing information about our successes and failures and learn from that."
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