HIGH TIMES LEAD TO CHAOS

As Whitecourt deals with a rash of break ins, RCMP say drug abuse is
to blame as cocaine continues to be the drug of choice

When a senior Whitecourt RCMP member was asked what was behind a
string of break and enters to local businesses, he said drugs. Turns
out 80 per cent of crimes committed in Whitecourt are drug related.

"There's a direct correlation between drugs and crime. Whether it be
using drugs and committing crimes or getting in fights. Alcohol would
be included in that as a drug as well," Whitecourt RCMP Const. Devon
Bateman said.

In his work with Whitecourt's general investigation section, Bateman
has seen casual users become more and more addicted to drugs. He said
drugs turn their lives upside down.

"There's a regular amount of people that use coke and meth, some are
working some don't. Some use it casually, some are completely
addicted. We tend to find that the people who are completely addicted
are the ones who are down and out committing crimes to fuel their
drug habit," Bateman said.

Drug-related crimes take up a lot of time for officers having to
investigate. "It puts a burden on some of our resources and the
victims, in this case, the businesses," Bateman said.

He added that the drug situation is similar to most communities in
Alberta, noting it's not out of control but at the same time, it's
still an issue the RCMP have to deal with.

While some people might find it easy to pin the blame on youth for
crimes such as break and enters, Bateman disagrees. "Youth tend to
use marijuana more, some use ecstasy, although not as much as in
other towns in Alberta. I would say it's the adults who are
responsible for the crimes in Whitecourt"

While youth might use pot more, Bateman said adults making extra cash
are the ones who get into harder drugs such as cocaine and speed.

"Cocaine seems to be a major drug of choice and that's a pattern all
over Alberta. There seems to be a select group of people that use
Meth since it came to Alberta eight years ago. It boomed for a while
and then settled down to a select group of people. I think most
people understand it's effects. It's highly addictive. A lot of
people are smart enough to stay away from it, whereas people tend to
be able to use cocaine and manage a job and it not be a problem for
them unless they get into a heavy-abuse problem. That's when you find
people who are down and out and losing their jobs and turning to
crime to fuel their habit," Bateman said.

What makes things harder for police is the fact that cocaine isn't
all that hard to get a hold of.

"Somebody knows somebody who has it, and it's a matter of making a
phone call and you can either meet somebody or they'll deliver it to.
For you to go out and start asking around, it probably wouldn't
take... long for somebody to put you in touch with the right person.
Most people find a way to get it, for a gram it'll cost you between
$80 and $120 depending on where you get it. " Bateman said.

Because the drug is accessible it tends to lend itself to
experimentation by people who might not otherwise take drugs. Some
end up being able to handle the drug, while other may become dependent.

"There's two types of users. It seems like people can use it casually
for six months and not have horrible affects. They might use it on
the weekends or their days off and then go back to work during the
week and not worry too much about it," the RCMP officer said. "You
find other cases where guys are starting to use the crack cocaine
version which is more addictive. Guys start using that and they end
up using it everyday. It doesn't take long to see their lives spin
out of control."

Once a person becomes addicted their family life can also get to be
out of control.

"Someone who might have been a good family man, who made an extra bit
of money and started dabbling (with drugs) on the weekends, might get
to a point where it becomes out of control. A person can go from
being a normal contributing member of society to down-and-out pretty
quickly if it gets out of control. And if they have children, then
child welfare might become involved and take the kids away," Bateman said.

A deteriorating family life isn't the only potential pitfall of drug
abuse. The law can be severe, especially for repeat offenders.

"Someone in possession can get anywhere between fines and seven years
in jail. That would depend on what the drug was and how much of it. A
gram of marijuana would be on the lower end, around $100 fine,
whereas a gram of cocaine would be more around the $1,000 fine for a
first offence. Repeat offenders might get some jail time. The guys
who are trafficking could see a two-year jail sentence on a first
offence," Bateman said.

A personal account

When Alex was about 15 years old he borrowed a cigarette pack from a
friend on a school yard. He opened it up and found some "pretty funny
looking cigarettes", he didn't think too much of it and smoked one.
That first joint led to another, and then to alcohol until it become
an everyday thing. He didn't think it was much of a problem at the time.

Alex (not his real name) says things started getting worse when he
got his first job. "It (drug and alcohol abuse) didn't really
snowball until I got a job when I was young, about 15. Then I had my
own money, spent it on some booze and some drugs. Marijuana in the
early stages, in last ten years it progressed to harder drugs like cocaine.

Like many other addicts, Alex turned to drugs to escape feelings in his life.

"It gave me a false sense of security, helped me escape my true
feelings when I was mad or sad. I would just grab whatever I had
around and I would drown my sorrows as they say. When I did sober up
the feeling would come back so I would have to get more. It was a
never-ending cycle," Alex said.

He and some friends broke into a house when they were still young.
Alex ended up doing some time in jail, but even that wasn't enough to
keep him sober.

"I went in jail for that one (break and enter). I got 18 months and
ended up serving 13 out of it. Even in there I wasn't clean or sober
for more than a week. Where I was (Fort Saskatchewan), I think there
were more drugs inside than outside," Alex said.

Last year he realized he had a problem and tried to do something about it.

"I tried quitting for a hundred days, I went to AA. But I wasn't
really honest with myself about having a problem. This time around,
I'm really honest with myself and I know I have a problem. This time,
I know I'm going to make it," Alex said.

Alex said he's getting a lot more support which make the hard days manageable.

"I'm having struggles. I still have anger and resentment, but that's
what your support groups are there for. Today I got angry. I was so
angry I was ready to have a drink, but support... that's what they're
here for. They do this for free. I don't have to give anyone money. I
just have to be honest with myself and with them. That's what they
ask of me," Alex said. Tennille's Hope is currently collecting
donations for Alex to enter a year-long rehabilitation program.