EXPERTS CALLED IN TO HELP PARENTS SPOT KIDS' DRUG USE

West Shore parents who want to know more about the local youth drug scene
- -- especially methamphetamine -- can hear it from the experts on May 8.

A parent information night on youth and drugs will begin at 7 p.m. at the
Royal Canadian Legion in Langford.

"I'm contacted once or twice a week by parents who are having a very, very
hard time with their children," said Cpl. Brian Kerr, head of the West
Shore RCMP street crime unit. "They think their children are on drugs.
Their child's behaviour has changed and they're looking for answers but
they don't know what to look for."

Kerr decided to organize the information session for parents after a bit of
prompting by his wife Valerie, who is a nurse.

"She talks to people, and people with children going into junior high have
no idea what's going on."

In the past year, methamphetamine -- known on the street as ice or crystal
meth -- has become more and more common, said Kerr.

"The downtown core might be worse, but we're catching up quickly here,"
said Kerr. "We used to seize a bit of meth now and then. But my street
sources say if someone isn't selling it at parties, kids are looking for
someone who is. It's a sign of things to come."

Teachers are also hearing about meth on a daily basis, said the street cop.

The drug is very addictive and very cheap.

"To stay on the high you have to keep taking more and more."

The evening's keynote speaker will be Randy Miller, an addict whose life
was portrayed in the gritty National Film Board documentary Through a Blue
Lens. The video-documentary was filmed by Vancouver's Odd Squad, a group of
seven policemen who wanted to use the film to prevent drug use among young
people. Addicts in the film talk openly about who they are and how they
started living on the streets. Miller will talk about how drugs overtook
his life, said Kerr. Clips from the video will also be shown.

Kerr has assembled a panel of experts which includes :

- - Staff Sgt. Bruce Brown, who will talk about the local youth drug scene

- - Dunsmuir principal Daphne Churchill, on the realities children face on a
daily basis

- - Federal Crown counsel Lori McMorran, on what rights parents, children and
teachers have regarding searches of rooms or lockers

- - Stacy Jensen from the Pacific Centre Family Services, on help available
in the community for families dealing with drug abuse.

Additional experts will include Cpl. Pete Zubersky, drug awareness
co-ordinator of the Vancouver Island RCMP Drug Section, Dr. Doug McGee, an
expert on methamphetamine, and Dr. Bayla Schecter, specialist in drug
addiction medicine.

Kerr will also display some of the more popular drugs and show parents how
they are packaged.