CITY NEEDS TO FIGHT DRUG WAR: MAYOR

Edmonton - Mayor Bill Smith has launched a war on drugs, imploring the
average citizen to get involved in the battle.

He detailed ways he thinks everyone from parents to teachers to judges can
play a role in eradicating the drug problem in Edmonton.

Smith's plea came on the same day that police identified a 17-year-old boy
as the city's latest homicide victim, in what they believe was a
drug-related shooting.

Richard Prasad was shot in the chest while sitting in his car in Mill Woods
about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Smith says Edmonton Police can't get a handle on drug-related crime alone,
and needs citizens to join the fight.

"Our police service have been investing heavily in this serious issue and
they've been doing a great job, but they can no longer do it alone," Smith
said. "This is a call to action."

The mayor also implored judges to impose harsher penalties.

"Impose penalties that have a better chance of deterring drug-related
activity," he said. "To the government of Canada, relaxing the laws on the
use of marijuana is a huge mistake."

He also wants schools to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on drugs and thinks
parents should warn their children about the dangers of drug use.

The mayor says he's worried about the increasing violence in the city.
Prasad is the third young man to die violently in the city in the last
month. He wouldn't address what more the city can do.

"Get out of Edmonton, get out of Alberta," is Smith's message for drug dealers.