Pubdate: Wed, 19 Apr 2006
Source: Yorkton This Week (CN SN)
Copyright: 2006 Yorkton This Week
Contact:  http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2543
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?143 (Hepatitis)

REGION INVITED TO PLAN DRUG STRATEGY

Sunrise Health Region will tell its communities about the input the 
public has given on devising a strategy to for combatting substance abuse.

In a press release Thursday, April 13, Andrew Sedley, Sunrise mental 
health promotion co-ordinator, said, the region is ready to begin a 
second round of sessions on April 24. Working with the input from 
about 200 people for eight communities during meetings in November 
and December 2005, its going on to a recommendation phase.

"We've taken the input received from the communities, and compiled it 
into a working document," Sedley said. "We now want to present the 
results to the communities and stakeholders so they can help shape 
the information into strategy recommendations."

The release said it is anticipated that the input received can be 
developed into recommendations that focus on the four pillars approach of

dealing with drug abuse which was first implemented in Switzerland 
and Germany in the late 1990s. These are enforcement, treatment, 
prevention and harm reduction.

"In Geneva, Zurich, Frankfurt, Sydney (Australia) and other cities, 
the four pillars approach has resulted in a dramatic reduction in the 
number of people using drugs, a significant drop in overdose deaths 
and a reduction in infection rates for HIV and hepatitis," the 
release stated. "Closer to home, the cities of Vancouver and Regina 
have also used this approach in their drug strategies."

Drug strategy session are held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and the dates 
are: Canora - Monday, April 24, Canora Composite School Centre; 
Melville - Monday, April 25, Davison School gymnasium; Kamsack - 
Wednesday, April 26, Kamsack Comprehensive Institute Library; Foam 
Lake - Thursday, April 27, Foam Lake Composite School library; 
Langenburg - Monday, May 1, Langenburg High School gymnasium; Yorkton 
- - Tuesday, May 2, Yorkton Regional High School; Ituna - Wednesday, 
May 3, Ituna School library; and, Esterhazy - Thursday, May 4, 
Esterhazy Central High School.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman