YOUNG ADDICTS TURN DOWN DETOX BECAUSE OF SMOKING BAN

VICTORIA - Quitting crystal meth or other street drugs is tough enough, but
simultaneously giving up smoking is too much for some Vancouver Island teens.

A no-smoking rule imposed by the Vancouver Island Health Authority at the
youth detox centre means beds are empty in a facility that usually has a
waiting list.

The five detox beds were full until three months ago, when smoking was
forbidden, said Pat Griffin, executive director of Victoria Youth
Empowerment Society, the agency that runs the detox centre.

"We're now at about 75 per cent capacity and it's dropping each month,"
Griffin said.

While smoking is a health risk, other drugs are a more immediate threat,
said Griffin, who would like to see an exemption for the centre.

"(The young addicts) might not live long enough to see any impact from
smoking."

Dianne Stevenson, the health authority's regional manager of tobacco
control, said it has no choice but to enforce federal law.