'WHITECOURT HAS A SERIOUS DRUG PROBLEM'

"Whitecourt has a serious drug problem. It's bigger than what anyone
really knows." Those words from Whitecourt RCMP Cpl. Chris Short said
during his presentation at the Be Drug Aware conference held last
Wednesday at the Whitecourt Community Centre. It was presented by the
local RCMP and the Town of Whitecourt to address a series of topics,
including the drug problem affecting the community.

About 90 concerned parents and their children, as well business
owners attended the event. A higher number than was anticipated. The
conference focused on the issue of drug use affecting more than just
the person using it, but the entire community.

"(Drug use) affects our health care, it affects schools, it affects
policing, property crime, and traffic crime. It affects just about
everything," said Short.

Whitecourt, Drayton Valley, Jasper, Hinton and Edson have some of the
worst records of drug use, specifically methamphetamine use, in all
of Alberta, according to the RCMP portion of the presentation. The
purpose of the Be Drug Aware conference was to create a form of
community mobilization to make the citizens of Whitecourt aware of
the drug and alcohol problems facing the town.

"Community mobilization is exactly what we're doing here," said
Short. "Getting a group of people together, willing to work together
to move an issue forward to a solution phase instead of just sitting
back and bitching about it."

The conference focused on informing the community to start taking
action against the increasing drug and alcohol problem and encouraged
people to report any suspicious activity they see to RCMP as soon as
possible - even if the suspicious activity occurs at 4 a.m.

"The town has to be our eyes and ears," Short said. "People have to
report suspicious activity. The break-ins, the thefts, all that
stuff, so we know what's going on, so we know where to focus our resources."

He added that often break-ins and thefts are linked to drug-related
activity, where an addict will steal to support a habit.

Mayor Trevor Thain also spoke at the conference and talked about his
experience dealing with a family member who had succumbed to drug addiction.

"I know what it can do to a family." Thain said. He feels very
strongly about making the community aware of the underground drug
problem, because drug use affects the town as a whole.

Some of the other issues brought up at the conference were kids who
were drinking alcohol and doing drugs with their parents, as well as
an Alberta Alcohol and Drug Addiction Coalition (AADAC) presentation
that gave alarming statistics about young people in junior high.

According to the AADAC statistics, by Grade 9, 21 per cent of youth
in Whitecourt have used marijuana. Across the province just under 10
per cent of youth in the same age group have used illicit drugs other
than marijuana.

Michael Quick of the AADAC office in Whitecourt says people shouldn't
be alarmed if the numbers seem high. He reports that most youth in
the area are choosing to say "no to drugs."

"Prevention starts at home, prevention starts when you're young,"
said Short. "If you can get to them young, hopefully they'll make
smarter choices when they're older and choose not to use."