Pubdate: Sat, 18 Feb 2006 Source: Border Mail (Australia) Copyright: 2006 Border Mail Contact: http://www.bordermail.com.au/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1017 Author: Di Thomas TOWNS IN FOR A SHOCK No Drug Problem, Say Residents, But THE results of a survey in Culcairn and Holbrook which showed participants predominantly thought neither town had a drug problem was a major shock, the chairman of the Culcairn Holbrook Youth Action Team, David Dunbar, said yesterday. The team is presently presenting the results of its research project to meetings in both towns with guest speakers providing details about the types of drugs available in the region and strategies parents might adopt to help reduce the risk of their children using and abusing drugs. Mr Dunbar, a Culcairn pharmacist, said those survey respondents who denied the existence of a drug problem in either town were ignoring crime statistics from the region related to drug use. "Over the past five years in Holbrook and Culcairn there have been 327 criminally recorded drug and liquor offences," he said. "There are many others who do not engage in criminal activity but are regularly using alcohol and other drugs in our towns." He said acceptance of the problem was an important step. "As with any social issue, recognition of the problem is the first step toward possible change," he said. "The community and each individual member of it must decide whether they accept the statistics showing there is a drug and alcohol problem in our community and whether or not they are comfortable with local drug and alcohol misuse. "Id like to think Im the only person in town selling drugs but the truth is Im not." The teams research project, undertaken by Serena Kent over three months, was completed in December. It focused on parents of pre-school and primary school aged children and aimed to identify strategies that could motivate parents to attend anti-drug information events. Miss Kent said the results indicated an overwhelming amount of participants were not sure if there was a drug problem in the area and consequently could see no reason to implement intervention programs to their children. The regions drug and alcohol liaison worker, Adelle Kennedy, said she had clients in the area with drug problems who purchased drugs locally. "Drugs may not be as big a problem in rural communities as in the cities but they are still a problem and parents should not assume living in a small town will ensure their children will be safe from drugs," Ms Kennedy said. The team has already held a meeting in Holbrook this week and will hold a second meeting looking at the research results on Wednesday, February 22 at the Culcairn Public School from 7.30pm. l For details of the teams activities contact Mr Dunbar on (02) 6029 8917 or Ms Kennedy on (02) 6029 8917. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom