CRACKDOWN SHOWS RISE IN DRUG USE

You'd think it would be wise to hide the crack pipe when the cops
come around. But, apparently not.

Vancouver police arrested four people in a three-day sting for
openly smoking crack in areas of the Downtown Eastside that police
call "hotbeds of activity" for dealers and users.

On Sunday, a man and woman were arrested and charged for smoking
crack while stretched out the steps of Strathcona elementary school
as seniors practiced tai chi in the park across the street.

The following day, two men were arrested on Princess Street for
smoking drugs on the sidewalk in front of a daycare.

Since the highly publicized Vancouver police began the crackdown
initiative on open-drug use in the last month, 38 people have been
arrested in 33 incidents - 24 in parks, 14 in public places and
three at bus stop shelters.