Pubdate: Fri, 19 Aug 2011 Source: Comox Valley Echo (CN BC) Copyright: 2011 Comox Valley Echo Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouverisland/comoxvalleyecho/index.html Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/785 Author: Ian Lidster, Comox Valley Echo COMMUNITY DRUG STRATEGY COMMITTEE CONTINUES EDUCATION WORK To steal unapologetically, and arguably inappropriately from stoner rockers the Grateful Dead, we could say "what a long strange trip it's been" in terms of the last decade's efforts by the Comox Valley Community Drug Strategy Committee. In 2002 the City of Courtenay was selected by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to participate in a project to develop a localized drug strategy in order to deal with problems arising from the use and abuse of all drugs, including alcohol. At its inception the goals of the committee were as follows: 1. To identify existing community groups and agencies that were providing drug and alcohol services. 2. To develop and implement public awareness and education campaigns. 3. To work with community partners to ensure a coordinated plan. 4. To plan a sustainable drug strategy for the future. An element that has been a vital facet of the committee from the outset is that it has never followed an agenda other than to educate the Comox Valley public about the realities of community dysfunction and to suggest some means of, if not eliminating drug and alcohol abuse, then at least to limit its impact on society at large. In the years since its inception the DSC has made a series of fall presentations to the public by individuals who have been directly impacted by the drug culture, or who offer some particular expertise in the realm of substance, its impact, and preventive measures. The first public presentation came about in 2002 when former Canadian heavyweight boxing champion, George Chuvalo spoke at the Sid Williams Theatre and in a highly emotional presentation told the audience how he had lost several family members, including two sons and his wife to drug overdoses or drug-related suicide. Among the highlights in subsequent National Addictions Awareness Week presentations was the visit of Randy Miller in 2003. Miller was once an aspiring and talented young hockey player who had the skills to join the pros but ended up a severe and "hopeless" addict in Vancouver's notorious Downtown Eastside. In the depths of his near-fatal addiction he was taken under the wing of the cops of the Vancouver Police Department's famed 'Odd Squad'. Miller figures prominently in the NFB film Through a Blue Lens which captures him in the depths of his addiction. Clean and sober for a number of years thanks in part to the Odd Squad. Another emotionally powerful presentation was made in 2007 by Katy Hutchison whose physician husband was brutally murdered when he intervened in an out-of-control teen party offered a poignant presentation in which she spared no details on both the potential dangers from excessive alcohol abuse, but also the power of forgiveness. The aforementioned items offer just a pastiche of many other involvements and presentations by the committee over the years. While the initial focus in its formative years was to look in the direction of the annual presentation, eventually the committee's interactions became more pervasive and support was offered to assorted other bodies in the Comox Valley that were also working to bring about a safer community. One of the reasons the committee has been successful in addressing the wants and needs of the community is because of the composition of the membership. Neither a professional nor political body, but a cross-section of citizens representing a number of realms has taken time through the years to help the Comox Valley retain and in some cases regain a positive quality of life. Included therein is Courtenay city council representation, the RCMP, educators, addictions counselors and other service providers, the media and AIDS Vancouver Island. Within that body there is a firm commitment to the belief that education is the vital key in addressing addiction and lifestyle woes within the community. If you want to keep current with information on previous guest speakers as well as information about requests for proposals for this year, then a Facebook page provides an invaluable information source. The page continues to be a work-in-progress. Access it at http://www.facebook.com/pages/CourtenayCommunityDrugStrategyCommittee/175522145799385 - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.