Copyright: 2005 The Province
Contact: provletters@png.canwest.com
Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Joey Thompson
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

TEACH DRUG HAZARDS EARLIER, TROUBLED MOM URGES

Little Help Available For B.C.'S Drug And Alcohol Abusers

Wisps of stray greys tethered behind her ears, Dianne Avon sets to stacking
layers of sliced turkey, curly bacon, diced onions and shredded lettuce in
a busy Langley sandwich bar.

She may look casted from a grandma cookie cutter but, while most her age
are preoccupied with curtains and crocheting, Avon's chatter is of dealers,
junkies and "flaps" of heroin.

To a mother who has lost her first-born to an overdose, it's all junk; be
it heroin, crack, crystal meth, coke or ecstasy; be they narcotics,
barbiturates, amphetamines, anti-depressants, stimulates or sedatives.

Avon ( I've used her maiden name to spare the family further grief ) has
seen the dope kill: first the smile, next the sparkle, then the healthy
skin, then the spirit and finally, the soul.

She pulls out a copy of last week's Province that exposes a graphic shot of
a mouth whose few teeth are blackened stumps; a casualty of a meth addict's
use. It's all too familiar.

But the drug milieu didn't end five years ago with the death of her
40-year-old son. Her third and youngest boy is also hooked.

Make what you will of a family of duplicate users, Avon is determined to
stop this 32-year-old from falling into his brother's footsteps.

But sometimes, the demon is bigger than all of them. They're no strangers
to the bleak statistics on access to treatment posted in our series on the
menace of meth. Been there, tried that one, she says. There are just 900
public residential beds for drug and alcohol abusers in the entire
province. Only 75 of them are for youth.

The few private ones cost upwards of $5,000 a month, more than a sandwich
maker on minimum wage can afford.

Avon can't stomach the thought of millions of dollars on needle- exchange
programs, supervised injection sites and official crack-puffing dens.

"Yes, my sons, along with every addict, made the choice to use drugs as a
social thing, not realizing how the drugs would devour them," she said.

"Still, these addicts deserve the chance to become clean. As a society, we
all would benefit from drug-free treatment centres."

Avon wants the government to invest in effective treatment facilities and
mandatory educational drug programs in all B.C. elementary and high
schools, noting that a 2001 survey of Grades 8 and 9 students found a
helter-skelter mish-mash of drug education efforts in our schools.

And it will take more than just an occasional preachy video, too. Students
should be compelled to traipse through the Downtown Eastside, visit detox
centres and talk to ex-addicts. The ravages of drug use have to be in
their face constantly.

The Province's forums on crystal-meth abuse are a good start, as long as
our youth -- and their parents -- show up to hear from the medical experts,
victims, police, families and addicts.

Indeed, it's going to take a community effort to kick this habit. The
first forum takes place tomorrow in Kamloops. It moves to Victoria May 2,
Surrey on May 3 and winds up in Vancouver on May 5. For more info go to:
www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/features/crystalmeth/index.html

"And please, no more free heroin or methadone for addicts," says
Avon. "Offer them a drug-free recovery program instead of feeding their
addiction."