DRUGS A DRAG ON FAMILIES

People are sick and dying from drugs in the Tri-Cities. Most of them are
young, some are trying to get help but too many are falling between the cracks.

Statistics from the BC Coroner's office show as many as 56 people died of a
drug overdose in this community between 1994 and 2001.

"I think [drug addiction] is an incredibly important part of health because
of the devastation on families and the effect on families. It has a real
impact on the health of the community," said Diane Miller, who oversees the
Fraser Health Authority's $13.2 million drug and alcohol addiction services
budget since taking responsibility from the Ministry of Health last spring.

Local health providers see the toll of drugs up close.

In 2001, 43 people were hospitalized at Eagle Ridge Hospital because of
alcohol or drugs, not including those admitted for related illnesses. Of
the 50 Tri-City residents who contracted HIV/AIDS between 1997 and 2001, 18
were intravenous drug users.

"We are trying to get a handle on the [addict] population," said Miller,
who's responsible for charting a course for drug addiction services for the
coming years. She said she expects to see more integrated services, more
help for people with mental illness who abuse drugs, and home and mobile
detox services to cut waiting lists.

Although there are no figures on how many addicts live in the Tri-Cities,
police suspect the population ranges between 300 and 500, based on
statistical projections.

"Those are people who are seriously addicted," said Det. Jim Burton of Port
Moody Police Department. Most addicts are between the ages of 16 and 35 -
"probably the most productive age group and those we rely on for our
future," said Burton, a former RCMP member who worked with youth and who
now sees the impact of drugs daily as a detective with the PMPD. He said as
many as 90 per cent of police crime files have alcohol or drug use at their
core.

"Most of the crime we're dealing with, including most recent homicides,
comes back to drugs," he said. "You can't get away from it." Alcohol is by
far the biggest social problem in the suburbs but the number of young
families makes youth drug addiction a huge concern.

And more young people may be using harder drugs at an earlier age,
according to a survey conducted by a Surrey-based agency. Pacific Community
Resources surveyed suburban youth and found that drugs were easy to get and
that alcohol and marijuana were typically doorways to harder drugs.

The survey, taken outside the Tri-Cities - and in summer, when students are
in "party mode" - may overstate drug use but local counselling services
have seen a small spike in the number of kids seeking help, said SHARE's
Lynda Edmonds, who is responsible for programming and services at the
Coquitlam-based agency.

SHARE generally sees about 300 young addicts for counselling each year,
about a third of whom are new admissions. SHARE saw 117 new clients for
counselling in the first nine months of 2002 of, 25 per cent more than usual.

Edmonds can't explain the increase, though it is troubling. "We could be
more out there in getting the message across," she said.

The adult numbers are much higher, with about 600 people a year seeking
counselling; half of those are new admissions and most report problems with
both alcohol and drugs. The good news is that these people are making an
effort to get control of their addiction, although their prognosis is
uncertain. Addicts can move in and out of detox as often seven times
through a lifetime of their addiction and waiting lists for services are
often long.

"We could use twice as many beds, we just don't have it," said Miller.

The Lower Mainland Youth and Drug Use Survey found parents were the most
trusted source of alcohol and drug information but the fifth highest actual
source for this information.

The New Westminster Youth clinic saw 447 teens from Coquitlam, 148 from
Port Coquitlam, and 128 from Port Moody, for drug issues, as well as
concerns about sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS and birth control,
between January and October of last year, representing about one-third of
the clients who go to the clinic.

In 2001/'02, SHARE saw 636 adults, with 349 new clients, and 294 youth,
with 112 new clients. In the first nine months of 2002/2003, SHARE saw 117
new youth clients. The problems: 85 per cent of adults report drug and
alcohol abuse, 15 per cent report alcohol abuse while drug abuse is the
main issue for 44 per cent of youth clients, compared to six per cent for
alcohol and 35 per cent for both drug and alcohol abuse.

Crime Statistics

RCMP crime statistics: Coquitlam reports 48,914 files to the end of
November 2002, and 567 drug-related offences to the end of the year, with
478 involving marijuana, 39 cocaine, 14 heroin and 36 other drugs. Port
Coquitlam reports 20,904 files to the end of November, 2002, with 296
drug-related offences to the end of December, 2002, with 254 involving
marijuana, 29 involving cocaine, 17 other drugs, and 8 involving heroin.

Needle Use

The New Westminster Needle Exchange exchanges 110,000 syringes per year and
has approximately 16-20 Tri-City clients (mostly from Coquitlam). Some
intravenous drug users may also go to Vancouver or Surrey for clean needles.

Services

152 detox beds available in the region, none in the Tri-Cities, four are
for youth. Intensive group treatment for women and youth, with a pilot
program for men. Seventy recovery beds for men, 35 for women in the
region, includes 20 FHA-funded beds in Tri-Cities run by Inner Visions,
which also operates another 27 fee-for-service beds in the
Tri-Cities. Counselling, referral, group and prevention and education
services provided by SHARE. Needle exchange and youth clinic, located in
New Westminster

Injection Sites Not Answer Locally

Supervised injection facilities are not on the horizon for the Tri-Cities,
although a needle exchange could be considered to reduce the rate of HIV
AIDs infection. One in New Westminster draws between 16 and 20 drug addicts
from the Tri-Cities, mostly from Coquitlam.

"That's our form of harm reduction," said Diane Miller, who's responsible
for alcohol and drug addiction services with the Fraser Health Authority.

But a local youth advocate says safe injection sites are not the answer for
ending the pain and suffering that goes along with drug addiction. Young
people who get hooked on drugs still need to steal and sell sex to get
their fix, and many are beaten by their pimps or are living on the streets.

"How safe is that?" said Diane Sowden, a Coquitlam woman whose daughter is
using drugs and living on the Downtown Eastside.

Sowden, who speaks often about drugs and sexual exploitation of youth, said
she would much rather see money spent on prevention and treatment than safe
injection sites, which may be more about cleaning up streets than addicts.
"Are we doing this to get it off the street to make it better for
tourists?" she asked.

Safe injection sites provide a safer and cleaner environment than the
street for drug addicts, with clean needles, showers, counselling and other
services, including emergency health care, according to Dan Reist,
president of the Kaiser Foundation, an addiction and research advocacy
group. Suburbs like the Tri-Cities may not need supervised injection
facilities because most people shoot up in homes that are relatively clean
with people who can help nearby. "The socio-economic standard is probably
higher," he said.

Coquitlam Mayor Jon Kingsbury says the suburbs need more addiction services
but the provincial government, not the cities, should pay the bill. He said
Vancouver is setting a dangerous precedent by considering its own safe
injection sites. "We're responsible for land-zoning, they're responsible
for health," he said.