FOUNDATION LAUNCHED TO FIGHT SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Inanaimo Addiction Foundation will work with - and help fund -
existing anti-drug organizations.

The Nanaimo Alcohol and Drug Action Coalition unveiled a new weapon
Tuesday to fight substance abuse.

Timed to correlate with National Drug Awareness Week, NADAC announced
the introduction of the Nanaimo Addiction Foundation, established to
work with and fund existing agencies and services in the Nanaimo area
in an effort to reduce substance abuse.

"For our community, this is equivalent to the global war on
terrorism," said Tony White, NADAC's development officer.

"Drugs and alcohol take a huge toll on those addicted, their family
and friends and their places of work. It has a huge impact on
everybody in the community."

Nanaimo loses $45 million ($515 per resident) annually in the economy
due to substance abuse related problems, but the personal tolls are
far worse, said White.

"Family break-ups, children becoming addicted, personal hardships,
illness and other social problems are things we need to stop," he
said.

"Our goal is to raise money, to have the community and corporate
leaders step up, and make Nanaimo a healthier place to live."

Substance abuse, which includes alcohol and tobacco abuse, spreads
beyond simple addiction. It also promotes HIV, hepatitis C and other
diseases. According to nation-wide statistics, 30 per cent of
emergency room visits are directly related to substance abuse,
causing an extra burden on an already stressed service.

Seven members - Lynn Fraser, John Hough, Christime McAuley, Merv
Unger, Donna Allen, Mike Hunter and Michael Wassermann - make up the
foundation's board.

By March 31, the foundation hopes to raise $100,000 and will then
begin funding a coalition of 20 local agencies and services to combat
substance abuse.

In Nanaimo, highly-addictive crystal meth has earned a lot of
attention in the past year because of easy access to the drug both in
schools and in the work place. Crack-cocaine and heroine also have
strong undercurrents in the community while prescription pain
killers are becoming a popular choice for addicts.

"This will be a made in Nanaimo solution," said Unger. "Government
funding is very difficult to get so it is up to the community of
Nanaimo to provide support. This is where we live so as a community,
we solve our own problems."

While the foundation is progressive in reducing substance abuse in
Nanaimo, there are already several building blocks in place to combat
the problem.

NAF intends to work hand-in-hand with those services to come up with
a long-term strategy that will include education in schools and
events to educate the public on the cost of substance abuse.

"In many ways we're already one of the most capable communities in
dealing with this issue," said Hunter, a former MLA who also sits on
Nanaimo's crystal meth board. "By raising money and funding services
we'll be able to strengthen the building blocks already in place."