To fight crime and illegal use of drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and alcohol, local residents were urged to build positive relationships between residents and police as Stettler RCMP hosted an information forum April 28. "It starts at home with communication," said Sergeant Lorne Adamitz of RCMP's drug and organized crime awareness division for Alberta. "Drug use of any type (by children and youth) is child abuse." "That's why we, as a community, need to get involved as neighbours families, schools, churches, and community organizations," said Sergeant Adamitz. [continues 288 words]
Legislation amended in the provincial legislature last week turned Alberta's proceeds of crime bill from a cow chewing its cud into a school of piranhas. More commonly referred to as Bill 50, the Victims Restitution and Compensation Payment Act adopted last Wednesday widely expands already existing police powers. Before the amendments, police were able to seize the property of criminals if they could prove said property to be the proverbial "proceeds of crime." That's not necessarily the easiest determination for police to make. [continues 443 words]
Fighting crime and major issues of drugs, thefts, break-ins and traffic are top priorities for the County of Stettler and Stettler RCMP. "We have a serious problem with illegal drugs in the Stettler region," said Stettler RCMP Sergeant Rowland Schmidt, speaking to county council at its regular meeting June 11. Members of council are very concerned with illegal drugs that are affecting many people and many communities in the region. "When students as young as Grade 5 are dealing with drugs in schools, we have a problem," said Councillor Earl Marshall. [continues 365 words]
Dear Editor; Re Front Page Article Last Week "We Have It All" All of this hand-wringing and teeth gnashing about illegal drugs seems foolish when one considers that junk food will kill more Canadians than all illegal drugs combined. Add in the fact that alcohol and tobacco (both legal) will each take many more lives than illegal drugs, and The War On Certain Drugs seems even more absurd. Then there is the cost and damage caused by drug prohibition itself, which is far more damaging to society than the drugs themselves. [continues 366 words]
Mother's Story Of Teen Addict Demonstrates Drugs In Stettler Too Although nobody is calling it an epidemic, Stettler is experiencing big city drug problems. "We have it all," said Lance Penny, director of Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) in Stettler. "We're not missing anything." Penny says the drug situation here has remained stable, except for an increase in cocaine use which he attributes to the work boom and the increase in people coming to town. The boom has brought other things to the community as well. Besides the regular marijuana and alcohol use, harder drugs have hit the streets here. Penny says everything from cocaine to crystal meth to morphine and crack have been reported. [continues 686 words]
On The Whole, Alcohol And Marijuana Are The Drugs Of Choice For Those Stettlerites Who Use Substance abuse in east central Alberta closely follows provincial trends, the area manager of Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission said. "It doesn't matter where you are, there's a core base population of 12 to 20 per cent who will abuse drugs or alcohol," said Lance Penny, area supervisor of the Stettler AADAC office. Stettler's office is the regional centre for everything east of Hwy. 21, and spanning from Big Valley north to Hwy. 53. [continues 553 words]
Dear Editor; I would like to respond the answers in the Perspective Question regarding the four fallen RCMP officers. I truly know now how ignorant some people in this town can be. How can you possibly say that you didn't know how dangerous their job is or that they made a mistake? These men and women risk their lives every day to protect us. Do you think they carry a gun and taser for looks? Or that their shotgun and pepper spray is to intimidate people? These are not toys or props. This equipment is to protect them and others in tough situations. They have to go through extensive mental and physical tests before they can even go to Depot to be trained. They train every day for six months to become a full-fledged member. [continues 360 words]
Dear Editor, As you are aware, some Canadians fear that decriminalizing possession of small amounts of cannabis will lead to a rise in pot-smoking drivers. Whether or not this will happen is an open question. The fact is, we already have a serious problem and it must be addressed. A study entitled The Limited Relevance of Drug Policy: Cannabis in Amsterdam and in San Francisco appears in the May 2004 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Funded by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Dutch Ministry of Health, it found no evidence that criminalization either decreases or increases use. The researchers found strong similarities in patterns of marijuana use in Amsterdam and San Francisco, despite vastly different national drug policies. They also found that decriminalization appears to reduce the so-called "gateway effect." [continues 202 words]
Students along the Highway 12 corridor got a first hand account of the dangers associated with drug abuse. Students from grades 7 - 12 and parent groups gathered throughout the last week to hear Mike Ryan, a former drug abuser and now an addictions councillor and public speaker with Clean Scene. Ryan was brought to schools like William E. Hay and other schools along the Highway 12 corridor by the Highway 12 Drug Task Force. "I screwed up my life really bad, really early," Ryan told the students. [continues 346 words]
Sometimes we have to take our lessons where we find them -- even if it's in another family's sorrow. Nineteen-year-old Sonya Weeks died Father's Day. The young Castor woman was just a year into her life away from home when complications from ingesting Ecstacy ended it. Whether this was her first time or not is irrelevant to most except her family. What is relevant is that this single event, this particular one time, was the last time. [continues 543 words]
I see that some of Canada's bigwigs are advocating the legalization of marijuana. Such a move would prove hugely popular with my good friend, Guy Onthestreet. I told Guy about it yesterday and this is what he said: "Whoa... dude. Like, totally... wow, man. That's like... so cool, y'know what I'm saying? Whoa, man. Hey, you got some dill pickle potato chips?" Why do people smoke marijuana? Aside from the people who need it to deal with medical problems such as multiple sclerosis or glaucoma, it seems like it's just another way to make yourself poor and unhealthy and stupid. Yeah, smoking the bud is a real good idea. [continues 599 words]
