WALKING A FINE DRUG LINE

There is a drug problem in Labrador West that can no longer be
ignored. There are drugs on our streets, there are drugs in our homes
and more importantly there are drugs being sold to our children.
Parents need to wake up out of their complacent haze and take a look
at their children's activities.

Last year, Menihek High School conducted a drug and alcohol study. The
results of that study were frightening at best, yet nothing has been
done. The school put the information out there for the general public,
yet there was very little response. A few concerned parents may have
come out of hiding, but for the most part, the study was ignored. Even
the Menihek school council is in awe of how quiet parents have been.

This study showed high numbers of kids not only doing drugs and
alcohol on a regular basis, but also partaking in dangerous activities
while under the influence. Maybe the most startling results were the
number of kids getting aboard a vehicle with someone who had been
drinking or doing drugs. Out of the 522 surveyed, 149 students said
they had gotten in a car with someone under the influence of drugs and
116 said they drove with someone under the influence of alcohol. That
is not only a concern for teen safety; it's an issue of public safety.
Nobody is safe on the road with that many teens driving under the
influence. It's an accident waiting to happen.

In addition to that, the study showed kids are not doing drugs to fit
in. They find the activity relaxing, stimulating, so much so, that
almost 100 of our teens are drinking or doing drugs alone. And about
10 per cent of the high school population is into daily drug and
alcohol use. How is this community able to turn a blind eye to that
statistic? What makes that OK in any parent's eyes? Do they just not
believe it could be their child? Obviously it's somebody's child.

The kids themselves stated they believe drugs and alcohol are a
problem at Menihek High. They may not be saying it out loud, but it is
a cry for help that should not be silenced.

We, as a community, are to blame for letting it get this far. We live
in a low-crime area that many would describe as the lap of luxury. Of
course no one wants to believe there is a drug problem, but the
numbers don't lie.

The first step in fixing this problem is identifying there is a
problem. Whether parents believe their kids are part of the statistic
is really a moot point. As a community, we have a responsibility to
ensure our children are safe. In order to achieve that security there
needs to be a crackdown on dealers. Right now, the drug pushers of
Labrador West are free to come and go as they please and the suppliers
are sitting seemingly untouchable waiting for the cash to flow in. We
must remember though our kids are the targets. Maybe one person can't
do much, but when a whole town of frustrated parents, educators and
general partisans take a stand against the drug trade there is bound
to be some movement.

The town also has a responsibility to educate our youth. There are a
number of great agencies like Addictions Services and Mental Health
that are already doing their part to get the message out, but it's
obvious not all kids are hearing what they have to say.

Education has to start at home and it has to start at a young age.
Teaching kids about drugs and their effects is a great preventative
measure that every parent should put into practice. And, as for the
people who will undoubtedly say that all kids experiment with drugs
and alcohol, any professional will say there is a fine line between
experimental use and addiction. It may only be one drink or one puff
away; are we, as a society, willing to take a gamble with the lives of
our children? They are our future and as the old saying goes, 'it is
almost impossible to unring a bell'.