METH PROGRAM HEADED FOR SCHOOLS

The St. Patrick's House Society plans to bring a "meth buster"
program to area schools this fall.

The program would aim to discourage junior secondary and secondary
students from using the highly-addictive drug methamphetamine - often
called crystal meth or just meth - according to society executive
director Marilyn Rayner.

"Our goal is to take this program into schools to let students know
what this drug can do to them," Rayner said. "Crystal meth has to be
one of the most insidious drugs that has hit the streets in recent
years. It burns holes in the brain - you can see pictures on a CAT
scan of the damage."

St. Patrick's House is a 20-bed treatment centre for men with drug
and alcohol addictions. The society recently received $10,000 in
provincial funding, through the Union of B.C. Municipalities, for the
drug awareness program.

Although that funding expires in June 2007, Rayner said, if the
program is successful the society will be looking for additional
funds to keep it going.

Rayner hopes using multi-media video presentations will get the
attention of youth. In addition, she said, they hope to bring in
former residents of St. Patrick's House to speak about their
experiences with drug addiction.

The second main thrust of the program will be educating parents on
what signs and symptoms may indicate their child is using
methamphetamine, Rayner added.

With greater public awareness, she added, there will be more pressure
for legislators to control access to the chemicals used to make crystal meth.

St. Patrick's House addictions counsellor Andy Donald was the driving
force behind the project.

"Hopefully we can stop it from becoming a lifelong addiction for
someone," Donald said. "It's about breaking down the idea that you're
10 feet tall and bulletproof - that addictions only happen to other people."