ROLE MODELS

The Result Of This Laissez-Faire Attitude Towards Drugs And A
Narcissistic Idea That Parents Should Be "Cool" And Not Worry About
Abdicating Their Responsibility As Parents Has Coincided With An
Increase In Binge Drinking And Marijuana Use By B.C. Students.

In a November, 2005 Maclean's Magazine article titled "Pass the Weed,
Dad" writer Marni Jackson spoke with several families where parents
and children smoke or used to smoke pot together. While startling,
this revelation should not surprise the millennium generation, (as
they prefer to be called) raised on tales of Woodstock and the good
times had back in Mommy & Daddy's day.

The result of this laissez-faire attitude towards drugs and a
narcissistic idea that parents should be "cool" and not worry about
abdicating their responsibility as parents has coincided with an
increase in binge drinking and marijuana use by B.C. students.

According to The McCreary Centre Society, a non-profit organization
concerned with the health of young people in British Columbia, the
percentage of students in B.C. that smoke weed has risen from 25 per
cent to 37 per cent since 1992. The report also highlights that binge
drinking is also on the rise as 21 per cent of males and 18 per cent
of females admit to binging, up from 16 per cent and 12 per cent
respectively since 1992. Alarmingly, kids are also drinking and using
at a much younger age, with a full third of B.C. 13 year olds
claiming to use alcohol. Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health (CAMH) reports that five per cent of school kids have tried
pot before the end of Grade 6.

Drug and alcohol use is entrenched in popular culture and while most
parents aren't waiting to hit the bong once junior gets home from
school, it's apparent that families simply aren't adequately equipped
to deal with the issue of kids, drugs, and healthy choices.

Locally, there is an organization that is helping Whistler's parents
and youth deal with the issues of drug and alcohol use and abuse.
Launched in February of 2003, Whistler for Youth's vision is "to
promote a safe community where residents and guests of all ages are
comfortable and secure." Whistler for Youth concerns itself with
prevention, and its efforts address the needs of children, families
and two youth groups: Whistler's own youth and the young adults who
are part of the permanent and temporary work force in the community.
Whistler for Youth is an active coalition of organizations and
individuals in the Whistler area. Representatives include parent
organizations, community services, communities of faith, Vancouver
Coastal Health, service organizations, schools and the RCMP.

The group has identified three risk factors on which to focus current
efforts: Community standards that favour drug use; parental attitudes
and role modeling; and a party atmosphere with expectations to use
illicit substances frequently and at high levels.

Children see children do

Cannabis remains the No. 1 illegal (contrary to what many seem to
believe, pot is still illegal) drug in North America. If the common
occurrences of smelling weed burning in the village or at Rainbow
Park on a sunny day are not enough evidence that marijuana is part of
our culture, take the more universal messages, from magazines like
High Times to the Showcase TV series, . It's difficult to decipher
what standards Whistler has, if any, when it comes to drug and
alcohol, but the media messages are clear: the familiar refrain is
"Where the world comes to party" "What you do up here, stays up
here." The constant doling out of these slogans makes healthy choices
less clear for young adults and has an impact on local families
trying to raise healthy kids.

One of the parents involved in WFY is Deanne Zeidler, the co-chair of
Whistler for Youth. Her involvement stems from a concern about the
messages Whistler kids get, but also what they see.

"There are really several things that got me involved with WFY four
years ago," says Zeidler. "The first was a growing realization that
there was something wrong with the picture of life here in Whistler.
More and more, I was aware of people smoking pot and drinking alcohol
openly -- at Rainbow Beach, in front of Meadow Park, in the village,
just about anywhere really. I was concerned that not only was this
illegal, it was also a very poor model of 'normal' and 'healthy' for
my own kids and their friends. I wondered what it was about Whistler
that made people think that it was okay to do this here when they
likely wouldn't do this in their home town."

Some of the strategies WFY has adopted to deal with this issue are
the Stay on Track & Stay in Tracks social marketing programs. These
programs offer parents, youth and the young adults of Whistler ways
to educate themselves and support them when they have social choices
to make. Stay on Track attempts to correct common misconceptions
about alcohol and drug use and promote healthier attitudes and
choices through various media. The campaign is directed at families
of school-aged youth. A parallel educational campaign called Stay in
Tracks was developed for 18-26 year olds.

Whistler For Youth also funded the expansion of the Peer Educator
Program offered by Whistler Community Services Society to include
service to Whistler-Blackcomb staff housing. As part of this
initiative an additional peer educator was trained and in the fall,
seven volunteer youth from "House" were trained under the Peer
Educator program. After six weeks of intensive training, these youth
are able to provide information and support services to their peers,
either at work or at play.

Getting high ain't what it used to be

Some might argue that if it's part of our culture and (almost)
everybody's doing it, so what's the harm. Well

According to TheAntiDrug.com, a drug prevention information centre
that works with leading experts in the fields of parenting and
substance abuse prevention and designed to serve parents wanting to
raise drug-free kids, new research provides better insight into the
serious consequences of teen marijuana use, especially how it may
impact mental health. Here are some facts according to
TheAntiDrug.com: "The short-term effects of marijuana use include
problems with memory and learning; distorted perception; difficulty
in thinking and problem-solving; loss of coordination; and increased
heart rate, anxiety, and panic attacks. Young people who use
marijuana weekly have double the risk of depression later in life.
Teens aged 12-17 who smoke marijuana weekly are three times more
likely than non-users to have suicidal thoughts. There is evidence of
increased risk for schizophrenia in later years in some teens who
smoke marijuana."

Once considered safer than tobacco, it's now apparent that pot can
have a dramatic effect on the lungs. "Someone who smokes marijuana
regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco
smokers have. These individuals may have daily cough and phlegm,
symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and more frequent chest colds.
Continuing to smoke marijuana can lead to abnormal functioning of
lung tissue injured or destroyed by marijuana smoke."

Research has dispelled many of the quaint notions of the harmlessness
of pot, but what is also clear is that its increasing potency is also
cause for alarm. The pot smoked 20 or 30 years ago would be
considered "extra mild" by current standards. The sophisticated
cannabis cultivation of today produces much higher levels of THC (the
main active chemical in marijuana also known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol).

THC content of marijuana averaged less than 1 per cent in 1974 and
rose to an average 4 per cent by 1994. THC content of the more potent
varieties averages 7.5 per cent and ranges as high as 24 per cent.

It's parenting not pestering

One of the problems influencing the issue of drug and alcohol use
with today's kids is the role today's parents play. Children whose
parents use, or used in the past, often have a more accepting
attitude toward allowing these substances into their lives. It's
crucial for parents to understand that marijuana is stronger than it
used to be in the '70s and '80s and that it's okay to talk to your
kids about drugs -- even if you use or used to use.

In February 2006 a study titled: Summit County Youth; Excellence on
the Horizon, was released. The study was commissioned by the Town of
Breckenridge, Colorado to look into the issues effecting youth in
Summit County. The 31-page study reveals many parallels to Whistler;
from its history -- nontraditional lifestyles enjoyed by people who
moved to the mountains -- to the immediate issues that would seem
familiar to many Whistler residents. According to the study, "the
substances of choice for youth appear to be alcohol and marijuana."

In her report to the Breckenridge council, the report's author, Lynn
A. Johnson, highlighted the impact of "immediate-gratification
cultures," and a lack of positive role models among the 20somethings.
She also noted: "many parents, but not all, have removed themselves
from the universal tasks of parenting that is guiding and shaping the young."

One of the community services members of Whistler for Youth is Greg
McDonnell. Greg is the Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS)
Youth Outreach Supervisor. Few people in town would have a better
finger on the pulse of Whistler's young people. When asked what the
best route would be to get involved if parents were concerned about
their kids using drugs and alcohol, his reply was straightforward.
"No matter what, talk to your kids. Do whatever is necessary to
re-establish that bond between you and your kids. Experimentation is
normal but it will be tempered for a young person by increased
dialogue. Know the risks of drug and alcohol use and communicate
those with your kids. Make sure they understand that no matter what
is going on, they can talk to you about it."

Another local parent involved in WFY since its inception is Cathy
Jewett. Cathy has been involved in the community for many years, most
notably as Chair of the Myrtle Philip Elementary School Parent
Advisory Committee (PAC). Recently she has assumed the role of Chair
of the District PAC. Her advice to parents is similar: "Sometimes
parents worry that they don't want to interfere in their kid's life
too much, but you still need to provide them with a really strong
base that will give them the security to go out into that world and
be able to come back to a safe place. Gordon Neufeld said it best in
Hold on to your Kids when he said that if you let their peers become
that base of support you're dealing with a group that really haven't
been able to form their own values yet, so it's important to instill
a strong set of values in your children and not let their peers do
that for you."

Greg offers a similar perspective as a professional in the field. "As
kids get older, the risk is that they get attached to their peer
group. The peer group in effect replaces their parents since there is
such pressure today to be accepted. I'm not saying prevent your kids
from hanging out with their peers but rather ensure your child is
attached to you at a young age such that whatever type of
experimentation or peer pressure occurs, they will return to you to
seek care and mentorship."

If peer groups make the rules without any parental supervision the
cultural outcome might resemble something like Lord of the Flies.

But Whistler's parents aren't left in a lurch when it comes to
dealing with helping their kids make healthy choices. Whistler for
Youth also produces Parenting Program. This program is delivered in
six interactive sessions for families and is designed to fit with
existing Second Step programs for children who are being exposed to
this program in schools in the Sea to Sky corridor. The program
integrates accurate information about alcohol and drug abuse with
skills development in responding to difficult situations, acting as
positive role models and ways to work with teens, other parents and
the community to make alcohol and drug use "uncool".

Talk to your kids

One thing is for sure, drug and alcohol use is not about to be weeded
out of our culture anytime soon. According to the Canadian Addiction
Survey, 70 per cent of Canadians will have smoked a joint at some
point in their teens. Despite the alarming statistics, the good news
is that simple actions go a long way to ensure that kids are
outfitted to make good choices. Tara Hill is a Whistler mom who
suggests that knowledge is key. "Like anything we want to do, we must
be educated about it. If I want to be involved in my child's teenage
years I need to be in the know."

Deanne Ziedler also provides meaningful insight into influence that
parents have. "I encourage parents to get informed. A recent poll by
Health Canada showed that 87 per cent of young people said they would
trust their parents for information on marijuana -- so get the facts."

Parental involvement is another fundamental when dealing with kids
and simply spending time together can have a huge impact on a kid.
Cathy Jewett explains how parent involvement changes as kids get older.

"You're going to see physical and mental changes, they are gaining a
lot more independence, and hopefully you've equipped them to deal
with that, maintain the lines of communication. Something that is
really important is eating meals together, especially dinner, and
practising the fine art of conversation. How often do we sit down
with our kids and ask what happened at school today and get the
reply, 'nothing.' You have to get beyond nothing; that's when things
start to come out."

Cathy, Greg, Tara and Deanne all mentioned getting involved at the
school level as a way to help children and the community at large.
Cathy suggests that it can have a healthy effect on school life. "Get
involved in your PAC, be seen in your children's school; that's an
important thing. It's important to normalize the atmosphere in high
school by being seen there."

Tara echoed a similar sentiment that could only be articulated by a
mom. "Kids are kids and their job is to discover life and we are here
to support them and guide them. I feel that staying involved in the
school and close to the issues without being in my child's face all
the time is an approach that our family can work with."

Hillary Rodham Clinton used an old African proverb in naming her
book, "It takes a village to raise a child". She suggested it offered
a timeless reminder that children will thrive only if their families
thrive and if the whole of society cares enough to provide for them.

A much earlier pioneer of feminism, women's suffrage and an advocate
for women's economic independence, Charlotte Perkins Gilman had this
to say about youth: "It is the duty of youth to bring its fresh
powers to bear on social progress. Each generation of young people
should be to the world like a vast reserve force to a tired army.
They should lift the world forward. That is what they are for."

Both of these women (both mothers) offer wisdom on rearing children,
and Perkins Gillman's quote is as relevant today as it was when she
said it almost 100 years ago. But today's influences and pressures
will now more than ever require the efforts of everyone to ensure
that our youth are supported and prepared to fulfill their duties.