PEEL PUBLIC HEALTH LAUNCHES NEW DRUG WEBSITE FOR PARENTS

(Brampton) - Peel Public Health today introduced a new website for
parents looking to obtain information and resources for talking to
children about drugs. The website, www.talkaboutdrugs.ca, provides
information that could only previously be obtained in print form.

"With many Peel students admitting to have tried marijuana before
entering high school, we realize how important it is to equip parents
with the tools to communicate with teens about substance abuse as
early as they see fit," says Elizabeth Amorim, Supervisor of the
Alcohol, Drugs and Addictions team. "Parents asked us for quick and
easy access to information. They want information they can trust at
their fingertips. This website enables us to provide that."

Topics found on the website include signs and symptoms of drug use,
common reasons for experimentation with drugs, an overview of commonly
used drugs, and statistics on drug use in Peel and across Canada. A
"Need Help Now" section of the website contains a list of
organizations that provide treatment and support services.

Follow-up programming for parents is also currently in development and
will be available in early 2007.

The launch of the website coincides with Drug Awareness Week, Nov. 20
to 26. For more information on Drug Awareness Week, visit the Canadian
Centre for Substance Abuse website at www.ccsa.ca.

Anyone interested in attending a presentation or receiving additional
information on drugs is encouraged to call Region of Peel - Public
Health.

The Regional Municipality of Peel was incorporated in 1974 on the
principle that certain community and infrastructure services are most
cost-effectively administered over a larger geographic area. The
Region of Peel serves more than one million residents in the Cities of
Mississauga and Brampton and the Town of Caledon.

For more information on the Region of Peel, or visit our website
at www.peelregion.ca.