DELIVERING SMACK OF REALITY

Former Drug Addict And Convict Talks Straight With Kids About
Drugs

Being offered pot and "angel dust" is something elementary school
students face in Cambridge.

Before school, at lunchtime, after school: kids are being asked if
they want to get high.

"It's intimidating, actually," says one 13-year-old girl who goes to
Stewart Avenue Public School.

She, who is not being named for privacy reasons, was at her school on
Wednesday night to hear some honest truths about the world of drugs
and gangs, and crimes that go hand-in-hand with both.

Rick Osborne, a former drug addict, gang member and eventual convict,
spoke of his past to a crowd of about 75 people at the school.

The keynote speaker was a feature of In the Mind's Eye, a series of
forums and films - hosted by the Waterloo Region Community Safety and
Crime Prevention Council - that address substance use.

"We're not going to sugar coat this stuff," said Michael Parkinson, a
community engagement co-ordinator with the safety and prevention council.

Hearing a straightforward talker who was not afraid to admit he was
defeated by drugs was something the few young audience members seemed
to appreciate.

"It's nice to have some of the answers to questions you don't know,"
said a 13-year-old boy, following Osborne's discussion.

Also a Stewart Avenue school student, the boy said he, too, has been
asked whether or not he'd like to buy some drugs.

"It's a big deal around here."

The boy said sellers are a mix of his peers, area high school
students, and adults. He and the 13-year-old girl who attended
Osborne's talk said they both have been approached while inside and
near the back of a local convenience store by adults who ask if they
want to score a hit.

"It confuses you," admitted the boy. He said he was raised to respect
those older than him and to make smart choices. But adults often are
the ones presenting to him the idea to try illegal drugs. "You'd think
they'd be ashamed to ask someone so young."

Another 13-year-old boy added: "It's hard to trust people when you
don't know who's doing drugs; you can't even tell anymore."

Osborne's message to the crowd was one of understanding. Parenting
techniques like "tough love" don't work, he said, because kids need
mentors: positive mentors who stand by and invest their trust in kids.

There are bad decisions and there are right decisions, said
Osborne.

"And sometimes you don't get a second chance on the bad
ones."

When someone is 13, 14, or 15 years old, it is near impossible for
them to know certain aspects of living in a world ravaged by drugs, he
said. Kids often learn those aspects after getting caught up in the
wrong crowd.

"Don't think a kid can't ever be redeemed," he added.

But how can kids know the true dangers without that guidance and
mentorship, Osborne asked the crowd.

"If you'd told me Billy was a junky I'd have thought he collected
junk," Osborne said of his own naivet at 14, the age when he
experienced his first dose of heroin.

Living first on the streets of Toronto, and later in Florida, Osborne
had more than one run-in with the wrong crowd. His proof: he spent
more than 20 years behind bars, from March 1978 to October 2000.

"The worse thing you can do to somebody is take them away from their
family and friends," he said. "There's no free ride in this world."

His first heroin injection, however, did not happen by choice. His
so-called friends jabbed the needle into his veins. His body and mind
both struggled against the effects.

"I got raped by drugs," he said to a silent crowd. "I was high for
three days; I stayed awake for three days."

People are worth more than that, he said, and that worth is built
around the choices people make.

"So, understand that: you have value."

Each of the three 13-year-olds said they wished more of their peers
had attended to hear Osborne's story.

With a goal now to encourage youth to live clean lives, Osborne said he will
continue to have discussions with youth. His book, White Noise: A Journey
Through Addiction, Crime and Prison, is available online and in stores.