DRUG SERVICES IN BAD SHAPE

As B.C. swims in a cocktail of easily available illicit drugs, a team
of addictions experts has revealed the sorry state of the province's
prevention and treatment services.

At a press conference yesterday calling for an independent addictions
commission, experts from the B.C. Medical Association, the Association
of Substance Abuse Programs, the RCMP, the Kaiser Youth Foundation and
the Alcohol and Drug Education Service said the province's drug
services have been down-sized, underfunded and are in complete disarray.

Vancouver Mayor Phillip Owen who was also there, said: "To do nothing
is not an option."

The experts revealed that:

* Despite demand from worried parents, B.C. students get education on
the effects of drugs on only a hit-and-miss basis. Many get only two
to three hours a year.

* More than 10 per cent of the B.C. population suffers from
substance-abuse disorders. That figure rises to 20 per cent if
smokers are included. Drug abuse is starting at younger and younger
ages.

* 20 per cent of B.C. hospital beds are occupied by people who have
substance-abuse disorders, many of whom aren't diagnosed.