GROUP TARGETS ADDICTIONS

A new steering committee is forming in Thunder Bay to tackle the
problem of substance addictions in the city.

The group was unveiled at Thunder Bay Police Headquarters on Friday
and includes Police Chief Bob Herman, Coun. Rebecca Johnson, Maureen
Twigg, manager of clinical services at the Thunder Bay and District
Health Unit for secondary treatment, Nancy Black of the Thunder Bay
Counselling Centre, and Jennifer McFarlane, health promotion manager
at the Health Unit.

The goal of the committee is to study the problem of addictions from
all aspects, including organized crime, poverty, mental health, youth
issues and peer pressure.

"We are looking at how all of us can make a difference in our city by
speaking to the people that live here," Johnson said. "We want to
create programs that are tailored just for Thunder Bay, not modelled
after another city. There are some gaps and duplication in the
addiction and treatment programs we need to address in the next year
before we can release a plan."

She added this is the first time the city launched a comprehensive
strategy to combat substance abuse.

Everyone on the board agreed drug abuse is only a symptom of a larger
problem, namely poverty and crime. Black said the committees first
order of business is to look at the programs the city does have and
try to improve them first before implementing new programs. She said
the city is very fortunate to have access to services like outreach
programs, street nurses and residential treatments. Now they have to
provide a co-ordinated effort.

"Sadly, many people are not accessing these services," Black said. "We
are not just looking at hard drugs like cocaine and methanphetamine,
we are looking into the over-the-counter substances as well. That's
the wonderful thing about this committee, we are looking at it from
all angles to have a full understanding. We are looking at what are
the needs now. We are not quite there yet, but we have existing resources."

Why people turn to substance misuse depends on many factors, said
Herman. Over half of violent crime is caused by drug abuse and he said
it's frustrating for the front-line officers who have to deal with
people committing crimes while under the influence or trying to feed
their habit.

"From the enforcement point of view I'm sure these people didn't
decide one day they were going to use drugs," Herman said.

"They use drugs for many reasons and eventually some become dependent
and turn to crime. We are looking at the organized crime element, from
street gangs to national groups. They are a major reason drug abuse
exists here because they manufacture and distribute many of the
illegal drugs on the street."

He added that addicts depend on the level of sophistication of the
person. Many of the homeless and poverty-stricken addicts turn to
over-the-counter cheap highs, like cold medication, hairspray or
liquid sanitizer. Wealthier addicts, of course, have access to harder,
more expensive drugs.

Funded by Health Canada, it aims to create a plan and solicit feedback
from the public before implementing their ideas in 2010.