YOUTH SAY METH PROBLEM 'HUGE'

Red Deer's youth has told the Premier's Task Force on Crystal Meth
that the devastating drug is far more widespread and creating greater
problems in Red Deer than anybody realizes.

"I asked the kids that were here, some of them recovering addicts,
what is the problem with crystal meth out there?" said Red Deer North
MLA Mary Anne Jablonski, a member of the task force.

"The kids that were here all looked at each other and said, 'Huge. It
is huge.

"The problem is bigger than we realized," added Jablonski.

Yesterday, the task force was in the city at the Red Deer Public
School District office for a round of meetings with youth and
community representatives.

Among those who also attended were school teachers, RCMP police
officers, and representatives from the Youth and Volunteer Centre of
Red Deer, the Red Deer Chamber of Commerce and the City of Red Deer
Social Planning department.

The private task force meeting was closed to the media.

Jablonski said formal studies by AADAC (Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Commission) do not show crystal meth to be as big a problem as she
believes it to be.

"It is hard to work against a study," said Jablonski, adding she also
believes Red Deer does not have enough youth treatment programs and
facilities.

"I said to them (youth) that we are not seeing it as that big a
problem when we do studies and they looked at each other again and
said, 'We don't necessarily always tell the truth on studies because
we don't know who is going to look at the answers and what the
consequences are going to be."

Don Falk, superintendent of Red Deer Public School District and a
member of the task force, said youth and the RCMP are telling him the
meth problem in Red Deer is "substantial" but agreed with Jablonski
that surveys are stating the numbers are much smaller.

"My feeling is that whether the numbers are large or small the impact
on individuals, families and the communities is huge regardless of
what the proportions are in terms of usage," said Falk. "It becomes a
big problem, whether it is big or small numbers."

Falk said he believes an effective strategy in reaching youth about
the dangers of meth is to have the message coming from young people.

"Youth speaking to youth is very, very powerful," said
Falk.

He added another message he heard at yesterday's hearings is that no
single strategy will work to combat the entire problem.

"For some children the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program
is very effective and they respond very positively to that," said
Falk. "For other young people the DARE program is sound going in one
ear and going out the other. Other things work for some but not for
others."

The public can provide feedback to the task force online until July 1
through the provincial government web site at www.gov.ab.ca/premier

The task force is expected to come out with a final report and
recommendations to the provincial government in September.