200 ATTEND DRUG FORUM

Victoria Clued In About Addictive Scourge

VICTORIA -- Close to 200 people attended a forum last night organized
by The Province on the dangers of crystal meth, a powerful and highly
addictive street drug.

Some were curious, like grandmother Barbara Lewis of North
Saanich.

"I have a daughter-in-law that told me quite a bit about it, how
accessible it is and cheap -- it upsets me," said Lewis, a former
corrections employee.

"I was reading that some of the provinces are enacting legislation to
make it more difficult to get and that's fine by me."

Others, like Kim Basi, have seen what crystal meth can do to users and
wanted to spread the word on its dangers. The Saanich police constable
works on a region-wide basis with sexually exploited youth and was
scheduled to speak at the forum.

"A lot of the kids that I'm working with are meth addicted -- that's
what got me interested in the first place. I couldn't understand why
meth was such a big attraction. I did a lot more research and found
out how it's cheap and the young girls like the weight loss."

Parent Chris Laframboise brought her two daughters, a son and a niece
to the forum so they could all learn together.

"I want them to make intelligent decisions," she said.

Her daughter Jeboah, a 14-year-old Colquitz Secondary student, said
she knows "lots of kids who have done it and they have psycho problems."

The drug is readily available at school, she said.

"Anything this available -- you just have to know the people to go to,
and everybody does."

Another forum is being held tonight at the Bell Centre for Performing
Arts in Surrey.

The final session takes place Thursday in Vancouver at John Oliver
Secondary. All are at 7 p.m. and free of charge.