DRUG USE, LIABILITY FOCUS OF FORUM

Drugs, drinking and parent liability were the focus of a forum at
Princess Margaret secondary school Tuesday night.

More than 100 parents and students came to hear experts discuss how
youth are using drugs and alcohol and how to spot users.

The night also served as the kick-off for the Drug Free Zone program
in School District No. 67.

Community leaders including school superintendent Gary Doi, Insp. Dan
Fudge and Coun. Gus Boersma expressed their support for the forum.

"It's heartening to see young people, parents and staff here - to say
'Yes this is a troubling issue but we can do something about'," Doi
told participants.

Fudge said society sends mixed messages about marijuana use - a habit
which is at least as damaging as smoking cigarettes, he said. "I have
a son, and I don't want him not to smoke (marijuana) just because it's
illegal necessarily," he said. "I don't want him to smoke it because
it's bad for his health."

Boersma, who spoke on behalf of Mayor David Perry, urged parents to
express their support for a city bylaw that would hold landlords
accountable for grow-ops on their properties.

In one of three sessions held throughout the evening, Const. Wally
Taylor passed around samples of drug paraphernalia seized in Penticton
to show parents what to look for.

Items such as eye drops (used to reduce redness in the eyes of pot
smokers), small weigh scales, scissors and razor blades, rolling
papers, bud busters and tiny baggies used to carry and store drugs are
among the items that should raise red flags for parents, he said.
Danny Highley with substance abuse services at Maggie talked to
parents about trends in drug use and their role in prevention.

Statistics show that two-thirds of students who have never tried
marijuana said that losing their parent's respect or pride was one of
the main reasons they had abstained, he said.

Parents shouldn't underestimate the importance of their relationship
with their children and should talk to them about drugs and drinking,
he said.

He also recommended keeping youth busy after school as one effective
way of deterring smoking, drinking and drug use.

Cpl. Rick Dellebuur told parents they could be held liable for any
problem arising from a party hosted at their home, even if they are
not present or are unaware of the party.

Even when a lawsuit isn't successful, parents may have to spend
thousands of dollars defending themselves, he said. He recommended
parents who want police to be able to deal with out-of-control house
parties in their absence provide a neighbour with written permission
to authorize police to enter their home.

Dellebuur also introduced the drug free zone program.

Houses within a two-block radius of McNicoll Park middle school, Skaha
Lake middle and Princess Margaret secondary and Penticton secondary
school are designated drug free zones, said Dellebuur.

Residents living within those boundaries have been contacted by
volunteers or have received a notice informing them they now live in a
drug free zone.

The designation means schools will seek maximum penalties for students
caught using or trafficking drugs in the zone, he said.

Police will step up patrols, make it a priority to deal with grow-ops
in the area and Crown prosecutors have agreed to ask for stiffer
sentences for those charged with drug-related offences within the
zone, said Dellebuur.