Pubdate: Tue, 05 Feb 2008
Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN)
Copyright: 2008 The StarPhoenix
Contact: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/400

DRUG CAMPAIGN OVERDUE

The following editorial is from the Vancouver Province.

Last week's report that a new national program designed to prevent 
young people from using drugs has received $10 million in federal 
funding certainly is good news. The only question is, what took the 
feds so long?

After all, it is not as if the perils of illegal drug use among young 
people aren't evident, especially in B.C. And it's not as if our 
so-called experts are unaware of the effectiveness of media campaigns 
in combatting tobacco smoking and drinking and driving.

That is why you'd have thought Ottawa would have taken the same 
hard-nosed approach towards illegal drug use. But as Health Minister 
Tony Clement noted, there hasn't been a "serious or significant" 
anti-drug campaign in almost 20 years. And that's a crying shame.

Taking drugs is decidedly uncool -- and it's high time our young 
people were warned about it by our government with every means at its disposal.
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