PREVENTION USED TO TACKLE DRUG PROBLEM

The development of the Peterborough Drug Strategy is moving along,
representatives of several community agencies told county council Wednesday.

Kerri Kightly, Peterborough Drug Strategy co-ordinator, led a
delegation to council that she said highlighted the "four pillars" of
the group's approach: prevention, harm reduction, enforcement and treatment.

Peterborough city and county have higher-than-average rates of alcohol
and drug abuse, with a significant opioid (OxyContin, Percocet,
Dilaudid) problem, Kightly said. Only by working together can the
problems be tackled.

"We know that working separately is not working," she
said.

Prevention falls under the authority of the Peterborough County-City
Health Unit, said Dr. Rosana Pellizzari, medical officer of health.

"An ounce of prevention is a ton of work," she told councillors as she
outlined how the health unit tackles the roots of addiction at an
early age, focusing on health, social and economic factors.

"Preventing poverty in itself is a powerful strategy in preventing
poor health outcomes, including substance abuse," she said.

"We know that 25% of Ontarians drink excessively," she said, adding it
may fall to municipalities to look at ways to limit or prevent the
sale of alcohol.

Harm reduction is a planned approach to minimize the effect of drug
use on addicts, said Kim Dolan of PARN.

"We know that it's not always possible to say no to drugs," she
said.

Helping addicts access safe injecting sites, condoms, counselling and
referrals is part of harm reduction, she told councillors.

Peterborough County OPP Const. Gord Klingspohn said the enforcement
side of things involves court diversion, enforcing the Liquor Licence
Act and maintaining RIDE program spot checks.

Lynn Sones-Barnes, a team leader at 4CAST, discussed programs the
centre offers to help addicts beat their habits and enter recovery.

These can include residential withdrawal programs,outpatient
treatment, counselling and substitution therapy, such as methadone.

The drafting of the Peterborough Drug Strategy is underway, Kightly
said, with the goal of having a draft strategy by fall and a published
version in January.

"Has the doctor community bought into what you're doing?" asked
Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Reeve Ron Gerow.

Pellizzari said doctors are on board.

"Certainly I'm hearing that physicians are not only concerned, but
engaged," she said.

Kightly said successes so far include a youth intervention project, a
bigger web presence, an expanded steering committee and a successful
medicine cabinet cleanout campaign that saw a lot of old medication
properly discarded.

The drug strategy team is putting the focus on opioids, prescription
narcotic pills, Kightly said, because it's a growing problem.

Cavan Monaghan Deputy Mayor Scott McFadden said he had recently
overheard another patient at the dentist trying to get a prescription
for narcotic painkillers.

"Is there a way to ensure these people aren't just going from doctor
to doctor until someone says yes?" he asked.

Pellizzari told councillors the province is working on a computerized
record-keeping system that would link information about narcotic
prescriptions to avoid that.