DRUGS CAN DESTROY A COMMUNITY

Jeff Lance has been in the military, worked in the sawmill industry,
and now is an RCMP officer.

Lance said that his first exposure to drug abuse was working at Canfor
in Fort St. James. Lance said that his first job was putting strips in
the hopper at the stacker, and while working there a forklift operator
asked him if he had any coke? Lance was a little shocked to say the
least.

Lance eventually became a supervisor in the planer
mill.

"The biggest issue I saw was with alcohol," he said. "The sad thing
was that people didn't listen."

Lance shared about a man who got fired from the military, a very
difficult task.

"He trained me how to shoot down aircraft and missles," he said. "He
went through some hard times and he started drinking and got into
heavier drugs. He went from a shining start to living in East Vancouver."

It has been six months since Lance became an RCMP officer.

"Since I have started, I have found six pounds of marijuana, and I
lost track of (how much) crack," he said. "Next to alcohol and
marijuana, crack is the biggest in town."

Lance shared that there was a seven-year intelligence probe conducted
by the Vancouver RCMP Drugs and Organized Crime Awareness. They
learned that chemical drugs have become a very popular part of the
party culture. They provide stimulation and feelings of openness and
peace. The drugs provide stimulation and energy levels that are needed
in order to dance all night or for long hours.

One of the problems with chemical drugs is that your body ends up
requiring it. The body becomes addicted to it. Cocaine is a popular
drug in the community, he said.

Ecstasy is another drug that was discussed. It is often in pill form
and can often look like candy.

So what is the impact of drugs or drug use in our community?

There is the likely hood of an increase in petty crime and violent
thefts.

Housing prices will decrease, business values decrease, and health
care resources may be over taxed and wait times will increase.

Crystal meth can be snorted, smoked, taken orally, or various other
ways. It short circuits the brains survival system, and basic survival
functions such as thirst and hunger are affected. Along with that
comes releationship breakdowns and it does major damage to your body.

Crystal meth is dangerous because of the way it is made, where it is
made, and what is put in it. You can find rock salt, paint thinner,
red phosphorus, camping fluid, gun scrubbers, and various other
chemicals in a drug lab. All of that is used to make the drugs, and
the users take those dangerous chemicals in their bodies.

"There is no guarantees (these products) won't blow up your house,"
Lance said. "Red phosphorus is used to make bombs and fertilizer. It
is not stable and when you mix it it becomes even worse."