PARTNERSHIP TARGETS TEEN DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE

Young People Will Be Asked To Take Leading Role

With most Niagara teens saying illegal drugs and alcohol are often
readily available to them, a new strategy has been launched to
convince young people to stay clean and sober.

The Niagara Drug Awareness Committee, a coalition comprised of the
Region, the public and Catholic school boards, Brock University,
Niagara Regional Police, the RCMP and other agencies, has been
approved to receive $450,000 from Health Canada over three years to
reduce substance abuse among young people.

The partner agencies will pitch in 'in-kind' contributions such as
staff time and office space, knocking the total amount up to about
$937,000 over the project's timeframe.

The idea behind the project is that young people themselves will be
recruited to take a leading role in combating substance abuse, said
Maria Brigantino, manager of chronic disease and injury prevention
with the Region's public health unit.

She said a youth engagement co-ordinator will recruit young people to
guide and support them at potentially every high school and agency in
Niagara that youth are involved in. The partnership will also hold
annual conferences or forums to educate youth, parents and
caregivers, and people involved with young people on ways to steer
teens away from drugs.

Brigantino said it's hoped the project will result in peer-led
substance abuse prevention groups that will be sustainable by 2011.

She told regional politicians Tuesday that drugs and booze are easily
available to teens, according to the Toronto-based Centre for
Addiction and Mental Health's student drug use and health survey and
to research conducted at Brock University.

That research found that 70.5 per cent of students report that
illegal drugs were available sometimes, often, almost always or
always, and that 72.2 per cent of teens report the same thing for alcohol.

The research also found that 41 per cent of teens reported using
marijuana at least once in the last year, 86 per cent reported
consuming at least some booze in the last year, that 26 per cent of
youth have been passengers with drivers who have been drinking, and
that 15 per cent of students may have a drug problem.