DRUG ADDICTION: FORUM TO TACKLE CRYSTAL METH

Langley Township is joining the RCMP, Langley School District,
businesses, and other members of the community to educate the public
about crystal meth.

It takes knowledge, cooperation, and a well thought out strategy to
successfully fight an enemy.

And in the war against drugs, standing together and being armed with
information is a major step towards taking control.

On Wednesday evening, June 28, a Langley Community Forum will be held
on crystal meth, a highly addictive, easily available drug that is
ruining lives.

The drug, according to experts, is taking a destructive toll on
individuals, families, and the community, as more and more people -
especially youth - become hooked on meth, and many resort to crime to
get the money needed to fund their addiction.

The free community forum is being hosted by the Langley Township
Community Safety Commission, a multi-jurisdictional committee which
includes members of the Langley RCMP, Langley School District,
provincial representatives, and community organizations. The event is
sponsored by the Community Methamphetamine Response Funding Program.

"The Community Safety Commission has been working on this issue for
some time," said CSC chair and Township Councillor Mel Kositsky. "We
decided to put together an information evening to create awareness and
give people a chance to learn more about local initiatives."

"It's important that the business community understand the magnitude
of the drug, and the problems facing police," Kositsky said. "This
event is also for parents, for anybody in the community who has heard
about the crystal meth problem but has no information about it."

The Community Forum will be held at the Fraser River Presentation
Centre, on the fourth floor of the Langley Township Civic Facility, at
20338 - 65th Ave. The event will start at 6:30 p.m., when guests will
be able to peruse displays set up in the lobby by community
organizations. The forum will run from 7 to 9 p.m.

Superintendent Janice Armstrong, Officer in Charge of the Langley RCMP
detachment, and Sgt. Scott Rintoul, acting provincial coordinator of
the RCMP Drug and Organized Crime Awareness Service, will discuss the
police's Drug Awareness Program.

Langley School District's Drug Education Program will be outlined by
School District #35's Barry MacDonald, and guest speaker Kerry Jackson
of 2020 Parenting will share how she lost her son to crystal meth, and
speak on the vulnerabilities that lead youth to need and want to use
drugs and alcohol in the first place.

Cold As Ice, a new DVD created by Fraser Health, will also be shown
during the forum. The half-hour DVD features a number of local
residents, including Langley City Deputy Fire Chief Bruce Dundas. Cold
As Ice provides a comprehensive snapshot of the crystal meth phenomena
and explores the impact of the drug on the user, the family, and the
community.

A panel discussion and open forum will conclude the evening. The
audience will be encouraged to ask questions of panel members who will
include Rintoul, Langley Youth and Family Service counsellor Lee
Davidson, University College of the Fraser Valley Substance Abuse
Program instructor Harald Urstad, and Greater Langley Chamber of
Commerce president Bev Dornan.

The goal of the community forum is to help develop educational
strategies, Kositsky said, and to create an action plan that will
allow the community to respond to the "rapidly growing destructive
issue."

The event is a continuation of "all the good work" that has already
been done in the community to address the crystal meth problem, and
will be the first of many forums to be held over the next year.

"We want people armed with information and aware of the resources
available," Kositsky said.