METH TASK FORCE SEEKS MEMBERS

The Crystal Clear on Meth task force is starting its community outreach and
education phase, then planning to implement strategies to reduce meth danger.

This is not just for parents or teens, the whole community is affected,"
said local social worker Tracy Prince and Deby Kurtz of the Ministry of
Children and Family Development.

The two formed the task force along with fellow social workers Mark Hinch
and Pam Beech, and ministry workers Annette Forgan and Holly Connor.

We're doing it because we felt we needed to get together as a community, to
reduce the impact. It has worked in other communities, and our first goal
is to educate the public," said Kurtz, who added the group's members have
the support of their employers to spend some time during normal work hours,
in addition to the free time hours they put in.

Kurtz and Prince stressed that unlike other drugs, meth has alarmed social
workers because of the inevitable and far reaching spin off effects it has
in the community, with prostitution, violence, theft, paranoia and
environmental danger springing out of the plague-like drug.

Now, the group is looking for members from the Chamber of Commerce to
represent the business community and an education representative, and is
sending a letter to various local professional agencies asking them to join
the fight.

They'd also like to get some teens and a parent who has seen meth's damage
to join the task force, and are aiming to complete workshops for the
general public, schools, pharmacists and physicians, and other community
professionals, by the end of October.

We know there are meth labs in Salmon Arm, people need to have some idea
what a lab looks like and the danger," Prince said. If they see someone
pouring sludge down the drain in the middle of the night, they need to know
to call, not just drive by and keep quiet."

Prince and Kurtz added Salmon Arm is vulnerable to meth because it is a
rural community with an element of transient population.

Anyone interested in the task force should contact us. There is lots to do,
we can't do it all with six or seven people," Kurtz added. For information,
call Tracy Prince at 832-2170.