ANTI-DRUG MESSAGE SPREAD

Students, teachers and parents got a crash course in drug awareness
at Glendale Middle School on Monday.

Former Calgary police officer and undercover narcotics agent Steve
Walton gave a series of street-smart presentations throughout the
day, including a seminar titled Street Drug Awareness: A Parental
Approach to a group of 60 parents in the evening.

"The school is doing it right, making sure we're talking to the kids
and the parents together," he said.

Typically, students receive lectures in drug awareness but it's not
so often their parents are involved, too, according to both Walton
and Glendale vice-principal Ted Hutchings, who first saw Walton
speak while working at Eastview Middle School two years ago.

Bruce Buruma, director of community relations with Red Deer Public
Schools, explained the presentations were part of an action plan for
drug use among youth launched last September.

He said the schools realized the plan needed to include a number of
different components, such as school presentations, teacher
training, curriculum development, alternative approaches like the
Wasted Angels theatre production, peer outreach programs
like Changes and parental involvement.

"We know we need to try a variety of approaches because while the
school jurisdiction has a responsibility, we also realize this is a
community issue," Buruma said.

Walton said it's never too early to begin educating children about
recreational drugs. He described the 12-to-17 age group as
particularly vulnerable. He said the biggest group of drug users is
aged 18 to 24.

"Drugs have always been around, but their potency has changed in
recent times," Hutchings said. "There's no doubt the economy is a
factor and it plays into the fact that kids have more money and access."

Buruma wouldn't say drug use is such a serious problem in Red Deer
schools but argued "anytime kids are using alcohol or drugs, it's a concern."

And Walton said Red Deer is no different from Calgary in the types
of drugs available.

Hutchings said the success of the Red Deer plan would be measured
not only in statistics but in anecdotal evidence aE" "when kids say
they've heard the message and made a choice."

Walton received a good reaction from Glendale's 370 students on
Monday afternoon after delivering a fact-laden presentation on the
look, use and impact of some of the more popular street drugs:
marijuana, ecstasy, crystal meth and crack cocaine among them.

The school's 40 staff members then attended a question-and-answer
session to bring their own knowledge up to speed before parents
arrived for the seminar.

Walton, who runs a consultancy called Get the Dope on Dope, covered
topics ranging from how to recognize addictive behaviour to drug
slang to current trends. Above all, he stressed the need for
families to discuss drugs.

"If the kids don't have the education, they will try it," he said.