DRUGS CLAIM ANOTHER LIFE

Many addicts want treatment but lose interest waiting: Two deaths in
less than 24 hours highlights ongoing desperate situation

A pair of deaths on south-end Nanaimo streets on Monday has drawn
further attention to the community's ongoing battle with drugs.

On Monday, the body of a 26-year-old female with "obvious signs of
drug use" was found near a phone booth on Haliburton Street around
7:45 a.m. Less than five hours later, a woman reportedly could not
wake her friend up after a night of partying. A 59-year-old man
reportedly overdosed in an apartment in the 1000-block of Farquhar
Street. Police do not suspect foul play in either incident.

Nanaimo is not the only city dealing with drug-related issues, and
some front-line responders believe the city desperately needs more
resources, such as outreach workers and detox facilities, to get the
addicted off the streets. Interest is also growing among area
residents hoping to battle back with the creation of a community watch program.

While the south-end territory is known to police for its drug use and
nusiance properties, "it's a little odd that you get two (drug
overdoses) in one day," said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O'Brien.

Several years ago, when a potent strain of heroin made the rounds in
Nanaimo, emergency officials reported seven to 10 calls each shift of
suspected overdoses.

Whether a high-potency drug or a new strain recently hit the streets,
regular users hit a "bad patch," or the deaths are simply a tragic
set of coincidences, "we're not hearing anything at this point," said O'Brien.

Addicts snort, smoke and shoot whatever they can afford and get their
hands on, whether it be cocaine, methampetamine, mouthwash, shoe
polish or aftershave.

For Nanaimo paramedic John Hosie, who responded to Monday's discovery
of the woman's body, the scene was nothing new.

"I wouldn't consider the events any different than any other day
here," he said, referring to the city's drug problem. "I don't think
it is any better or any worse. It's just there."

With more than two decades of experience in Nanaimo, Hosie has
responded to thousands of substance abuse incidents all over the city.

In the south end, he knows many of the addicts by name. Paramedics
receive an average of three calls each day on any shift related to
substance abuse in the area.

"It's nothing for some of the people to have 100 calls in a calendar
year," said Hosie.

Stimulant-based drugs, or "uppers," can cause cardiac arrest, while
sedative-based drugs, or "downers," can essentially have victims
suffocating themselves, when the drug erodes the brain's ability to
tell the body to breathe. An overdose is categorized as any amount of
illicit drug or medicine that causes an adverse or negative result
when taken in any form.

When people are in cardiac arrest and it is not reported, survival
rates are less than 1%.

Substance abuse, underlying health problems and mental health issues
(commonly seen on the streets) "battle for first place," said Hosie,
who believes more front-line staff and resources are needed.
"Unfortunately, a lot of people we see on the street want to go to a
treatment facility," said Hosie.

However, with long waiting periods for treatment programs which can
be relatively brief, addicts lose interest and "it's somewhat of a
revolving door. I really don't believe personally that (drug issues)
are going to go away," he said.

City social planner John Horn said hearing news of the recent drug
deaths is "distressing," but he does not believe that the incidents
are evidence that Nanaimo's drug landscape has radically changed.
"It's distressing but I think it's sort of business as usual in the
drug trade," said Horn on Tuesday. "I think what we do need a little
more of is having community treatment teams."

While there is always room for more detox programs, said Horn, "if
(drug addicts) were truly committed, it would happen for (them)."

Longtime Haliburton Street residents Doug and Tanya Hiltz, who have
been working to rebuild their neighbourhood for years, hope to
prevent such drug deaths through the creation of a community watch program.

Since the Daily News reported on Monday that the Hiltzes wanted to
start such a program, the couple had already received about a dozen
e-mails by early afternoon Tuesday.

"The only way to build a strong community is to get community watch,"
said Tanya Hiltz.

The initiative, which would report suspicious vehicles, people and
activity to police, has garnered so much immediate interest the
Hiltzes said Tuesday that they're installing a separate phone line to
handle program-related calls. They plan to break down the area into
blocks, each with a team captain and assistant. They plan to
distribute flyers and also create a website. The couple can be
reached at cherokee6@shaw.ca.

COMPARISONS

Average Number of Illicit drug deaths per year between 2000-2004

Duncan 1 Kamloops 6.2 Kelowna 4.8 Nanaimo 6.4 Prince George 3.2 Victoria 19.6

- -- B.C. Coroners Service