WHAT THE STATS SAY

Schools To Get Tough On Drugs

Local trustees are preparing to take a hard line against drugs in local
schools.

A report on the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows school board agenda tonight
(Wednesday) is expected to lay the foundation for a planned district-wide
drug strategy, with the focus on prevention.

"We just feel we really need to take a firmer stand on drugs in our
schools," board chair Cheryl Ashlie said.

The idea sprouted from Ashlie's involvement in the recent community-based
crystal methamphetamine campaign and in the new municipal task force that
is working to develop a community drug strategy.

It has met with strong support from the local school board, which has asked
district staff to put together some statistical information to review as a
starting point.

"From our perspective, at the school level we are at the reaction stage and
need to move more to prevention," Ashlie said.

It's not that nothing is being done in the schools now to prevent drug use,
she stressed. What's lacking is a systematic prevention program that starts
when students enter the system and is built upon, year after year.

"If we want to be serious, we need to actually look at a budget line item
and have a discussion about that," Ashlie said.

In addition to developing a district-wide drug strategy, she said, the
school district needs to advocate for a provincial-level response to the
drug problem. Many people are calling for a multi-ministry approach to the
issue, she said.

The aim is to tie the district's strategy into the larger community-wide
strategy that is in the development stage. Ashlie is co-chairing that
effort with Jim Kelly, executive director for Alouette Addictions Services.

School trustees tonight will review existing policies related to alcohol
and drug use, statistics from the McCreary Centre Society's Adolescent
Health Survey III and suspension statistics.

The McCreary Centre surveyed more than 30,000 B.C. students in Grades 7 to
12 in 2003 and 2004. The organization conducts community-based research and
projects on youth health issues. Here are some of the local results:

Alcohol

* 59% of students had tried alcohol. Close to a third were 13 or 14 years
old when they first tried it. 8% were age 10 or younger.

* 11% had at least five drinks on three to five occasions in the past
month. 4% had at least five drinks more than six days in the last month.
Cigarettes

* 11% said they are currently smoking cigarettes, 89% said they are not
smoking.

* 77% considered themselves non-smokers and 17% said they were experimental
smokers.

Marijuana

* 34% said they have tried marijuana.

* 18% said they first tried marijuana at age 13 or 14. 8% said they were 12
or younger.

Other drugs

* 96% said they had never used cocaine.

* 94% had never used halucinogens.

* 96% had never used amphetamines.

* 11% had used mushrooms.

* 100% had never used heroin or injected an illegal drug.

* 13% passed out in the past year from drinking or drugs.

Suspensions

A district report said 2004 saw 72 suspensions for drugs (two were repeat
offences) and two for alcohol in high schools. In 2003, there were 165
suspensions for drugs (17 were repeat offences) in high school and six in
elementary. For alcohol, there were 19 in high school, one in elementary.