DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE

You've Had a Lifetime to Talk to Your Kids About Drug and Alcohol
Abuse. What Are You Waiting For?

It is a good question, one that all parents and guardians of children
need to embrace and answer via appropriate action.

A new provincial government initiative, which specifically targets
Crystal Meth, is a proactive attempt to place the responsibility for
preventing kids from taking the drug squarely on the shoulders of parents.

It's a great initiative but it doesn't address the much bigger
problem that exists in many BC communities, including Lake Country.
That's the rapidly expanding use of marijuana and alcohol by our youth.

Society has somehow managed to keep it's collective head in the sand,
disregarding the damage done to a youth's brain, or any brain for
that matter, by marijuana and alcohol abuse. The idea that has
surfaced over the past decade, implying these two drugs are somehow
less harmful to kids, is a myth created by ignorance and
determination not to take responsibility as parents.

Lake Country is party to a Regional District of the Central Okanagan
initiative to hire a Drug Policy Coordinator as part of the Four
Pillars Coalition approach which operates on four basic programs:
Enforcement, Prevention/Education, Treatment, and Harm Reduction.

The community needs to continue to enthusiastically support these
initiatives and address the growing problem of drug and alcohol abuse.