DRUGS A PROBLEM IN VULCAN COUNTY

Does Vulcan County have a drug problem?

Yes.

People would be naive to believe otherwise, Cpl. Larry Wiltshire, who
heads up the Vulcan RCMP detachment, told Vulcan County's municipal
planning commission last Wednesday morning.

But the problem in this county is no more prevalent than it was at
the other seven detachments where he has worked, he said.

"I don't think there's any community out there that doesn't have a
drug problem," said Wiltshire.

He added it's not so bad that anyone walking down the street could be
suspected of being on drugs.

The main drugs found in this area are crack cocaine, marijuana and
some crystal meth, he said.

"Crack cocaine is pretty widely available and pretty easy to access,"
said Wiltshire.

Crack cocaine could well be coming from Calgary, he said. Wilshire
also mentioned that construction crews could be bringing it in while
they're in the area to make "easy money."

Cocaine is not a cheap drug, he told the commission.

Vulcan RCMP sends in information to officers who specialize in
fighting the drug trade, said Wiltshire, and whether a drug
enforcement squad comes to Vulcan County depends upon numerous
factors, including the squad's priorities and the strength of the
intelligence reported, he said. A squad recently came in to bust a
grow-op operation with the help of a southern Alberta police drug
unit, he said.

Wiltshire said a few people have built grow-ops, more for their own
personal use than for distributing it to others, he said. With
teenagers, pot and alcohol use are the two main concerns, said Wiltshire.

Misuse of alcohol is not going to stop, he said.

"We try to stop them on Friday night, but it's not going to go away,"
said Wiltshire, adding that the RCMP can at least attempt to cut down
on the number of collisions related to alcohol use.