INFORMATION CAN HELP FIGHT DRUGS

The fight against illegal drug activity in Kirkland Lake is being
fought on many levels.

People are very aware that the local OPP continues to have success in
charging people and taking drugs off the streets. Unfortunately it
seems that often they are not always given the support they deserve by
our court system.

I have heard it said that getting caught, paying the fine or doing the
short jail sentence is just the price of doing business.

There are two main factors that drive the drug trade. The first is the
amount of money that can be made from selling drugs. For the person
who is selling and not using it is a very lucrative business.

The second big reason for selling drugs is the drug dealer needs the
money to feed his or her own addiction.

In Kirkland Lake the Kirkland Lake Drug and Alcohol Awareness
Coalition and its committee the OxyContin Task Force are doing their
best to educate people about what drugs are available, their affects,
and what services and agencies are available to help people recover
from addiction.

Thursday 65 people attended the Drugs 101 Seminar put on by the
Kirkland Lake OPP at First Baptist Church. Most of the people who
attended represented agencies that either deal directly with people
who have addictions or families that are affected by addictions.

The information presented by Detective Constable Bryan Bertoncello,
Detective Constable James Pigeau and Canine Officer Constable Dave
Wert was not only informative and up to date it was also presented in
a entertaining manner and in language that everyone could understand.

They brought a display of drug paraphernalia that had been confiscated
in area drug searches.

Not only was this interesting it was also an eye opener as to how far
drug dealers will go to conceal their drugs. In one case there was a
large bottle of pop that looked filled with pop. In fact the top was
filled and the bottom was filled but behind the label is where the
drugs were hidden in a dry section of the bottle. Also included in the
display were a couple of aerosol cans that looked normal but they had
false bottoms that came off and drugs were stored inside the cans.

The officers also shared a great deal of information on how various
illegal drugs will affect people. For example people using
methamphetamine will become very aggressive, while people using
marijuana tend to be more passive. People using methamphetamine will
scratch themselves sometime right down to the bone and their eyes tend
to be open wider than normal. Marijuana use can lead to red eyes and
users will sometime carry eye drops with them to help get rid of the
red eyes.

During the Drugs 101 Seminar there was an open exchange of information
as the officers answered all the question they could and in a number
of cases people representing different agencies answered questions
because they had direct experience through their work.

The Kirkland Lake Drug and Alcohol Awareness Coalition was able to
bring together 65 people representing different agencies that deal
with the drug problem from enforcement through to treatment and
facilitate an exchange of useful information abut the problem of
illegal drug use in the Kirkland Lake area.

The sharing of information is another useful way helping the community
combat a problem that is not unique to this area but affects many
people in our community. Addiction cuts across age, race, and
religious lines. It affects people in every wage bracket but there is
hope for addicts who sincerely seek help. Help is available in
Kirkland Lake through agencies such as the Timiskaming Health Unit,
Kirkland and District Hospital, the Kirkland Lake Family Health Team,
the Centre du Sante, the Canadian Mental Health Association as well as
other agencies.