DRUG THREAT IN FIRST NATION COMMUNITIES IS MAGNIFIED BY ISOLATION, JUDGE SAYS

Atlantic Canada's first native judge put down his gavel and picked up
a microphone Thursday to talk to St. Mary's First Nation residents
about the danger of drugs.

Judge Graydon Nicholas spoke at Chief Harold Sappier Memorial
Elementary School during a day-long event staged during the United
Nations International Day Against Drugs.

He said drug use is a threat to every community, but reserves in particular.

"Within First Nations communities the problem is magnified because we
tend to live isolated lives and don't see what is going on in the
greater communities," he said.

"People need to know the effect of drugs in both the greater
communities and globally."

Nicholas, a provincial court judge since 1991, said he regularly sees
the effect of drugs in his courtroom.

"Drugs don't discriminate. There are young people, senior citizens,
men and women and all kinds of personalities who use drugs, and
almost all of them end up with broken relationships and very sad
circumstances," he said.

"Some people can get off them, but others can't, and they turn to a
life of crime. I often see people who have committed break and
enters, theft and shoplifting just to support a drug habit."

Nicholas was one of seven speakers at the event, a public conference
which included workshops, group discussions, and educational movies
pertaining to the dangers of drug use.

It was put on in collaboration with the Foundation for a Drug Free
World, and is the first such event put on by a Canadian reserve.

"They have done this in B.C, and they have done it in Toronto, but we
are the first First Nations to do this," said organizer Jessica Paul.

"Hopefully more natives get involved with this because it is
important to take a stand against drugs. We need to stand together
and really fight against this problem."

To coincide with the event, information packages from the Foundation
for a Drug Free World were distributed to all 250 homes on the
reserve prior to the forum Thursday. Paul said it's important to give
community members the facts about drugs.

"These packages we distributed have the most accurate and truthful
information I have seen and talk about a lot of the things that
people just don't talk about. And it's important to get that
information out there," she said.

"We need to stand together and really fight against drugs use in our
community, and that is what this is all about."