CHUVALO TAKES SWING AT HEROIN

Former Champ Tells 3,000 At Abbotsford Rally: Don'T Do Drugs

He left the professional fight game a good many years ago, but George
Chuvalo still talks about a comeback.

This time it is far away from the boxing ring -- and the former
Canadian heavyweight champ who stood toe-to-toe with the likes of
Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman is not happy about it one
bit.

``Heroin is making a comeback,'' Chuvalo told almost 3,000 people at
an anti-drug rally in Abbotsford last night. ``You hear horror stories
everywhere.''

Chuvalo lost three sons to heroin, and the pain caused his wife to
commit suicide.

With those tragedies delivering painful jabs every day, he has been
travelling the country with one message for kids: Don't do drugs.

Chuvalo thinks there needs to be the political will to change the
problem. ``It's such a growing social problem I can't understand why
politicians don't understand what is going on.''

``The people who could affect change are not responding.''

Chuvalo played a video of his son Steven, who talked about his life as
a heroin addict.

``My son was sweet. Articulate, handsome. You'd never think of him as
a drug addict,'' said Chuvalo.

Chuvalo said Steven had nowhere to turn when drugs got hold of him.
``You can't get help if you're an addict.''

Chuvalo's message hit home for three Langley students at the rally who
have completed the DARE program -- Drug Abuse Resistance Education.

After a word with Chuvalo, Candace Crockford, 12, said: ``Drugs aren't
cool, they definitely aren't.''

Her friend Stephanie Ells, 11, added: ``Taking drugs is a really
stupid risk.''

And Rakel Arnardottir, 12, said of Chuvalo's speech: ``It's very sad,
but he got the message out.''

Vancouver Staff-Sgt. Doug MacKay-Dunn said being a narcotics cop in
the downtown east side is not pretty.

``The war against drugs is not being won because both the federal and
provincial governments have gutted the public's first line of defence
against drug predators,'' he said. ``Federal, provincial and municipal
police agencies have been decimated. Canada is undefended against the
invasion of drugs and drug predators.

``The war against drugs is not being won because there is too much
money to be made by those selling it and because politicians have not
admitted that drug use is a medical problem, not a criminal one.

``The war against drugs is not being won because the federal and
provincial governments will not spend money on a comprehensive drug
detoxification and rehabilitation program. Government is more
concerned with seabeds rather than rehab beds.''

He warned that crack cocaine is fast becoming the drug of
choice.

``It's cheap, available, easily concealed, and you don't have to use a
needle. That's why it is in suburbia and in your schools.''

Langley-Abbotsford MP Randy White, who organized the rally, said
Ottawa needs to listen to the social workers who are dealing with the
growing number of young addicts.

``The whole issue of how drugs are handled in this country is a
head-in-the-sand approach,'' the Reform MP said. ``We need a national
drug strategy that works on the streets.''

The rally followed public meetings in Port Moody and Coquitlam and a
public forum held by The Province on May 4 in Surrey.

The Province plans another public forum next month on the growing use
of hard drugs.