WAKE UP, LLOYDMINSTER

In case you've missed it - which would be fairly difficult as it has
been an issue we've decided to make front-and-centre in the past few
issues - we have, as a city, been given a pretty strong warning and
word of encouragement from our local RCMP in the fight against drugs.

And the message, in case we've also missed that part, is that the
drug scene is alive and well in the Border City. Which is not news.

But it has, thanks to our strong resource economy, been a thriving
industry for many years and has allowed for way too much expendable
cash to disappear up the nose or up in smoke for many Border City residents.

And this is bad enough by itself.

Drugs, whether a part-time "only when I'm at a party" routine or
full-out robbing to feed your habit addiction will eventually catch
up and destroy you and your family along the way.

But what we're now being told to be wary of is an even heavier level
to the scene involving the youth of our community the RCMP call 'the game.'

Not that it should be worn as any badge of pride, but to this point
the Border City has been known as a coke town. Not exactly the kind
of factoid we'd brag about in city promotion literature, but it is what it is.

Where we're going, according to RCMP, should especially wake parents
up - crystal meth is now setting up shop as the new drug of choice
amongst younger and younger users. This should have every parent,
teacher, friend and employer on high alert. There is very little room
between dabbling and life-shattering addiction when it comes to
crystal meth. And, of course, with all the pleasantness that comes
with a healthy drug scene, you know that organized crime - already
feeding the supply line - is going to want a bigger and bigger piece
of the pie. Police are already bracing for this reality.

But as unsettling as this all is, and as much as we might hate the
fact we have to fear our kids will fall into the pit of addiction, we
have to fight back despite the reality of having to live with that
fear. We have to call police when something just doesn't seem right
in your neighbourhood. We have to take steps to support somebody we
care about if we suspect they may have an addiction. Perhaps your
child's drug abuse will be enough to spur you into action.

That is really the underlying message from the RCMP: We're in this together.