MP BACKS ANTI-DRUG ORGANIZATION

Pierrefonds-Dollard MP Bernard Patry added his name to a banner
declaring he promised to live a life without drugs, a symbolic
gesture aimed to help non-profit organization Narconon Trois-Rivieres
preach prevention to grade school students across Quebec.

"I remember seeing a patient years ago," recalled Patry, a former
physician, "who came to me with a black eye. I asked him what had
happened, and he said his 15-year old son had hit him."

Like other experiences dealing with patients whose lives had been
affected by drugs, this one marked him too. The Liberal MP's first
instinct back then was to give his patient some contact information
for a detox centre, and nowadays he still thinks the work of places
like Narconon is important.

"To me, having Bernard Patry sign our banner is important, because
people like our MPs are popular among children. It sends a positive
message to them," said Carole Arvisais, community relations director
with the organization.

Other colourful signatures that adorn the large white banner include
Senator Jean Lapointe and TVA channel personality Pierre Bruno.

"(Drug addiction) starts at the fourth grade these days," Arvisais
said. Even she was surprised when one school contacted the
organization to ask them to speak to nine and 10 year-olds, she added.

"Part of the reason why it starts so early now is because of how much
this is visible in our media, such as television and the Internet," Patry said.

Narconon Trois-Rivieres is the only Quebec branch of a global
network. According to Arvisais, the detox centre treats those who are
above 18 years of age. Over the course of a program that lasts around
five months, addicts are encouraged to go "cold turkey" and replace
their drug intake with lots of vitamins and proteins. They eventually
begin to undergo three-to four-hour sauna sessions to sweat out all
their toxins.

For more information on Narconon Trois-Rivieres, call 819-376-8181.