NEVER TOO EARLY TO TALK TO KIDS ABOUT DRUGS

It's never too early to start talking to your children about drugs.

That's the message a retired police officer turned drug educator told
delegates attending the annual spring meeting of the Georgian Bay
Conference of the ELCIC (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada).

"We give our kids medicine and tell them it's safe . . . what we have
forgotten to tell them is that drugs are safe only if you follow the
rules," Heather Hodgson- Schleich said.

"As soon as a child starts talking, start talking to them, at age
appropriate levels, about drugs. Make sure they understand the rules
about medicine use. We don't wait for them to be hit before we tell
them about traffic safety or talk to them about stranger awareness.
It's the same with drugs. The more they know, the better prepared
they will be."

With increased use of over-the-counter products for crystal meth
production and the growing popularity of "pharm parties" (where
participants bring leftover pills from home, mix them all together
and then consume them), Hodgson-Schleich says there's "no such thing
as giving kids too much information."

"In order for your children to be safe, they need to be aware," she
said, stressing the importance of open and regular communication with
your children.

Grandparents, she said, can also play a key role. "Sometimes kids
will say things to their grandparents that they won't or feel they
can't say to their parents."

Hodgson-Schleich has been a educator with the Council on Drug Abuse
since 1998 and often does drug awareness programs for four-to
eight-year-olds, as well as substance use/abuse, bullying and
personal safety presentations for elementary, secondary and post
secondary schools across the province.

Hodgson-Schleich's presentation included information about how the brain works.

"Thirteen and 14-year-olds are risk takers who are searching for
their independence," she said. "Many become rebellious and they have
a lot of self-doubt and mistrust. What they need most at that age is
a supportive environment . . . a supportive family, church and
community is critical to helping teens get through those difficult
teenage years. The more you can get kids involved in their community,
the better it is.

She also stressed the importance of knowing your children's friends,
where they are going and what they are doing.

Some drugs can remove that decision-making sense "almost immediately.
Drugs are a chemical and when that chemical gets in the brain it
changes you mentally, emotionally and physically."

Addiction is a health problem, not a legal issue she said, although
selling drugs is a different story.

Alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs account for 20 per cent of all
acute care hospital days.

Hodgson-Schleich said young people who smoke tobacco are 14 times
more likely to drink alcohol and those who smoke tobacco are also 20
times more likely to smoke cannabis.

The earlier children start using drugs, the more addicted they
become, she said.

"Start before the storm hits," Hodgson-Schleich said. "Keep lines of
communication open, maintain realistic rules and remember that
although adults often believe the most influence on their kids seems
to be from their peers, in surveys children report that the biggest
influence in their lives is still their parents."