Pubdate: Wed, 19 Apr 2006
Source: Drayton Valley Western Review (CN AB)
Copyright: 2006 Bowes Publishers Limited
Contact: http://www.draytonvalleywesternreview.com/contact.php
Website: http://www.draytonvalleywesternreview.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/980
Author: Courtney Whalen
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

METH TASK FORCE GATHERS INFO

DRAYTON VALLEY -- Crystal meth drew a crowd to the town offices last  
week as the community cluster group from the Premier's Task Force on  
Crystal Meth made a stop in Drayton Valley to gather the thoughts of  
the community on how to tackle the issue.

Around 45 community members representing sectors such as education,  
health, police, support services and industry gathered to hear how  
Drayton Valley combats its own meth problem as well as offer their  
own ideas and recommendations to be forwarded to the task force.

Drayton Valley Mayor Diana McQueen was named to the task force last  
year and, along with Don Falk, superintendent of Red Deer public  
schools, makes up the community cluster group which made its stop in  
Drayton Valley before heading to Camrose, Red Deer and Grande  
Prairie. She was glad to see so much interest from the community to  
help the task force in its goal of combating crystal meth in the  
province.

"As a task force member it's great," she said. "But it's not  
surprising for Drayton Valley because it's (the community) really  
great at getting involved."

After a presentation detailing the steps Drayton Valley took to  
battle its crystal meth problem as a community those gathered also  
heard from the local detachment of the RCMP and Parent-to-Parent  
group member Lori Winship about how their organizations deal with the  
meth problem, their successes and what still needs to be done.

Former User Battled Addiction For Eight Years

One of the key presentations of the afternoon was when former Drayton  
Valley resident and recovering crystal meth addict Anna Meier spoke  
about her own experience and shared her thoughts on how a system to  
help meth addicts should look. Clean for nearly two years, she  
battled her addiction for eight years and said she found the biggest  
danger zone for those who are trying to get clean was in the gap  
between their original stay in detox and the time it took to get into  
a treatment program.

"For me personally it's important to take a bad situation and turn it  
into something good," said Meier of why she decided to share her  
story with the group.

She thinks the formation of the task force is something that will  
definitely have an impact on battling crystal meth and thought that  
by taking part in the meeting she was completing the circle of  
contributors, as someone who had actually been through the process.  
"It let me hear the community and give my perspective," she said.

Several recommendations came out of the meeting including one to  
establish more programs to help the people who are trying to help  
family member or friends who are involved in crystal meth. More money  
for prosecutors who are dealing with drug-related cases, an  
alternative to jail for those addicts who want to get clean and an  
additional treatment facility in the province were just some of the  
recommendations heard from those in attendance.

McQueen said the goal of the task force is to come up with  
recommendations that outline some best practices in how to address  
the crystal meth problem and help those who are addicted.

All the recommendations from the community cluster meeting will be  
forwarded to task force chair Colleen Klein and presented to the  
other members of the Premier's Task Force on Crystal Meth.
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MAP posted-by: Jackl