DRUG USE IN OKOTOKS FRIGHTENING

Like almost every parent I am confident my two teenagers will stay
away from drugs.

I am not naive, I know they may experiment with something and they
will surely have a nip at a party here and there.

We have all done the same and, for the most part, we have all turned
out just fine.

However, after speaking with the organizers of Parent Drug Awareness
last week my perceptions have changed drastically.

I know that at some point my children will be exposed to drugs and it
has always been my hope they will make the right decision when that time comes.

But I had always assumed they would be tempted by marijuana,
mushrooms or something of the like.

It appears I could not have been more wrong.

Although alcohol and marijuana are still the most common drugs among
youth, Foothills Composite High School family liaison counselor
Laurie Vanoni said crack cocaine and ecstasy are becoming much more
prevalent in the community.

Crack cocaine? Ecstasy? I was stunned that 15-and 16-year-old kids
would be trying such hard core drugs such as crack.

Vanoni said these drugs are not just isolated to the high schools.
They have been turning up at junior high schools as well.

"In discussions with counselors, drug use is popping up in all the
schools in the area," she said.

That means not only are my two teenagers at risk, but so is my eight-year-old.

I thought her biggest high would come from eating too many sour
soothers, not from drugs.

It is clear I am in need of an updated education when it comes to
drug use in the community and the potential dangers it poses to my kids.

Joanne Dzurka of the Okotoks Healthy Family Resource Centre confirmed
my worst fears.

I thought, 'okay, crack and other hard core drugs have shown up in
Okotoks, but certainly it cannot be that common, can it?'

Apparently, yes it can.

"It is not just one kid using these drugs," said Dzurka. "It is happening."

She said one of the newest trends she is seeing is teenage girls
using crack cocaine as a means of losing weight, using it as an
appetite suppressant.

How frightening is that? Instead of having an apple for a snack
teenage girls are resorting to popping pills.

My biggest fear was my daughter might try smoking cigarettes, not
smoking crack.

You know, if one of my kids does try a cigarette, a beer or even a
joint and they don't like it, no harm done.

But if they try crack or ecstasy -- even just once -- the
consequences could be crippling or even deadly.

Parents, all parents, would be wise to attend the Parent Drug
Awareness presentation at Foothills Composite High School on Jan. 23
from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The evening will provide tools and resources
for parents to "open the lines of communication" with their children
on the topic of drug use.

I know I will be there.