Weekly Narcotics Anonymous meeting being offered at Burin hospital Stacey Johnson (not her real name) was in her mid-20s when she decided to attend a Narcotics Anonymous meeting for the first time. "I remember exactly what I was wearing, and I remember exactly where I sat, and I was just waiting, trying to find the differences, any reason for me not to feel like I was part of this group," she told The Southern Gazette last week. She stuck around for about two months but said ultimately she "just wasn't sick enough." [continues 801 words]
While 'Bootlegging' Is Still on the Radar, Illegal Drug Trade Now More of a Problem It's been about a year since a shift in the RCMP at the federal policing level came into effect. Before Apr. 1, 2013, federal units were identified and assigned to specific areas of mandate - customs and excise, drug enforcement or some other specialization. Now, however, serious organized crime, in general, is the target, irrespective of the commodity. For the Burin-based unit, in addition to how the it does business, the shift meant a name change from Customs and Excise to Federal Policing Operations West. [continues 333 words]
Burin Peninsula District RCMP Staff Sergeant Wayne Edgecombe said 'youth involvement in crime' has been added as a divisional priority for the upcoming year. Invited to meet with the Burin Peninsula Joint Town Council Wednesday evening, he acknowledged that doesn't necessarily mean just dealing with youths who have run afoul of the law, but also involves targeting how crime affects young people. He explained in that regard, drugs and youth will be a big part of the annual policing plan. [continues 543 words]
Parents attending a DARE graduation ceremony at Donald C. Jamieson Academy in Burin last week received a reminder from police. The message was that they, too, must be extra vigilant in the effort to protect their children against the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Students from Anita Piercey's and Margaret Ann Cleal's two Grade 6 classes were rewarded June 14 for the successful completion of the DARE - 'Drug Abuse Resistance Education' - program, instructed by Cst. Mike Martel of the RCMP's Burin Customs and Excise Section, with certificates and a party at the school. [continues 404 words]
Drug use age younger. Sgt. Bill Dwyer claims drug use in the province continues to be a problem - particularly cocaine, 'club drugs' such as ecstasy and the ever-present marijuana. At the same time, the average age when young people first try these substances is dropping, from age 12 for alcohol and marijuana to 15 for club drugs. "It's getting young, isn't it?" The provincial co-ordinator for the RCMP's Drug and Organized Crime Awareness Service indicated the nature of club drugs in particular has proved alarming. [continues 265 words]
Sergeant Wayne Edgecombe, of the Burin Peninsula District RCMP Detachment, acknowledged cocaine use in rural Newfoundland was a rarity two decades ago. Not anymore. Since the oil boom in Alberta exploded a couple of years ago, and people from this province began regularly travelling back and forth on shift rotations, the situation has changed dramatically. Cocaine has joined marijuana as the drug of choice in Newfoundland and Labrador, some might say even overtaken. Yes, even on the Burin Peninsula. Sgt. Edgecombe indicated "Crack cocaine and coke are the drugs of choice in Fort McMurray and these places, and some of it seems to be filtering back here. [continues 602 words]
Grade Five students at Sacred Heart Academy in Marystown are ready to 'just say no!' Students celebrated the completion of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's 'Drug Abuse Resistance Education' program, or DARE, with a graduation at the school June 19. It was the first time two classes participated in the program - previous years had been limited to just one. Cst. Nicole Wilmott of the Burin Peninsula District RCMP, who has instructed the program at Sacred Heart for the past three years, described it as an effective method of empowering youth with the knowledge to make informed decisions when confronted with difficult situations. [continues 182 words]
