JASPERITES GET 'THE DOPE ON DOPE'

Jasper Booster -- From the local MP to a large group of Jasperites,
the issue of drug use in the community was on the minds of many last week.

Yellowhead MP Rob Merrifield introduced a private member's bill in
the House of Commons that would require mandatory minimum sentences
for criminals convicted of a serious drug crime.

In a press release, Merrifield said that Canadians are sick and tired
of drugs destroying communities and criminals getting off the hook.

Locally, the drug issue took centre stage for a number of residents
with workshops involving healthcare, emergency services and social
services staff in Jasper.

Det. Sgt. Steve Walton is retired from the Calgary Police Service but
was a cop for more than 25 years, including work with the drug unit
there. Since then he has operated a business called Get the Dope on
Dope, which sees him travel around providing drug education presentations.

Although the bulk of his work involves speaking to youth, some of his
audiences are similar to those he spent time with here last week.
"Because they are healthcare professionals they can get put into
awkward situations with drug users," said Walton.

This kind of learning for the people in these fields gives them the
opportunity to do their work more effectively.

"It allows them to be a little safer in their jobs and brings them up
to date with the world of drugs and the drug user," he said.

Those who attended the workshops and come in contact with drug users
in their jobs found the workshop valuable.

"It's helpful for us to be protective of ourselves and for the
patient as well," said Jayne Yearwood, a registered nurse and
President of the United Nurses of Alberta Local 75.

She said some of the drugs that users are combining are causing
highly aggressive behaviours in patients.

"They are mixing and combining stuff and it's a very, very dangerous
situation that's occurring...it's only going to get worse," she said.

Part of Walton's job is to be familiar, with the specific drug
culture in the different regions he visits. The drugs encountered
most often in Jasper are marijuana, amphetamine-based drugs and
cocaine, according to Walton.

"You'll see a smattering of heroin and of course every community
deals with the diversion of pharmaceutical drugs," he added.

Jasper also sees the use of designer drugs like ecstasy and LSD,
primarily because of Jasper's reputation as a place to party for
young people, he said.

But, what he believes is the most disturbing drug trend, not only
here but in many other places in the region, is the proliferation of
drug production.

Walton said he would not be surprised at all if Jasper was currently
home to one or more of what he called clandestine laboratories, where
drugs are being produced.

Within the past couple of years there's been an increased awareness
about drug issues in Jasper and Walton said that the more attention
is paid to the problem the better of the town will be in the future.

"Feel empowered as a community, with respect to forming groups and
committees that deal with drugs and drug related issues, because the
criminals watch that," he said. "I'll tell you what the drug criminal
doesn't want --they don't want a cohesive community. They want a
disjointed community that has built up walls and barriers -- that's
where they thrive."

Walton believes that it's the ordinary citizens, when there are
enough of them that care about the problem, who can make the biggest
difference.

"I see it all the time where the community takes the problem of drugs
and they put it right at the doorstep of the police," he said. "The
police are a function and a method of coping but they can't solve it
- -- this is a community problem that the community can solve."

Yearwood said healthcare professionals are looking at having another
workshop like this in the future and are considering the possibility
of a public session as well.

"We need to keep our community safe because once the drugs and labs
infiltrate Jasper we'll be looking at a very unsafe environment,"
said Yearwood. "We love Jasper and want to keep it safe."