FORUM TO TACKLE SUBSTANCE ABUSE

There is a serious substance abuse problem in Nanaimo, says the head of the
John Howard Society.

"We have serious alcohol problem and a serious IV drug use problem here,"
Tony White said on the eve of a harm reduction forum that gets under way
today at Beban Park. "We need to do something about it."

Called Reducing the Harm of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Nanaimo, the sold-out
forum will bring together 120 stakeholders, including drug and alcohol
workers, RCMP representatives, politicians, including Nanaimo mayor Gary
Korpan, Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell and Nanaimo MLA Judith Reid and
members of the public.

Presented by the Nanaimo Alcohol and Drug Action Committee, the day-long
forum will include a keynote address by Campbell, who will talk about the
"four-pillar approach" being taken in Vancouver to address substance abuse
issues. The four pillars include prevention, treatment, enforcement and
harm reduction.

"These need to be coordinated to be effective," White said.

The forum will also include a panel discussion with eight professionals who
deal with substance abuse issues on a daily basis.

Nationally, one in 10 has a problem. In Nanaimo, there are between 500 and
1,000 IV drug users who are seeking treatment. There are still others in
the community with serious substance abuse problems who are not seeking
treatment.

White also said there will be a "provocative" question and answer session
with the panel where the audience can ask questions about the substance
abuse problem in Nanaimo.

The afternoon session will include a keynote address by Dan Reist,
president of the Kaiser Foundation. His presentation is entitled, Weaving
Threads Together: Supporting a New Awareness in Dealing with an Old Problem.

"We will also have a group discussion about what is going on in Nanaimo,
what are we doing right, what are we doing wrong that might be causing more
problems and what we can do better," White said.

There will not be admission tickets available at the door.