HELPING TURN THE TIDE IN THE WAR ON DRUGS

Hundreds of Penticton residents now find themselves in drug-free zones
under a program announced by the RCMP Tuesday at a forum dealing with
drug and alcohol abuse.

While the initiative is an important step to keep schools drug-free,
parents and residents must do their part as well.

The Drug Free Zone program announced at the forum hosted by Princess
Margaret secondary school Tuesday designates a two-block radius around
four local secondary and middle schools as drug free zones.

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

It also means that police will focus on busting marijuana
grow-operations in the area. Those living within the zone also face
stiffer criminal penalties when charged with drug-related offences.

This program is a step in the right direction because it aims to
protect society's most vulnerable members from the harmful effects of
drugs and related crime. The timing and location of the program's
announcement reinforces that message.

But simply declaring a specific neighbourhood a drug free zone with
the hope that words will deter drug use and production is not enough.

Labels - no matter how well-intended they may sound - do not negate
the need for actions by all those who have a stake in ensuring our
children grow up in a community that is (relatively) drug-free.

Anybody who heard the Tuesday's testimony of a Penticton woman trying
to recover from a long period of drug use that began while she
attended high school can confirm that drugs exact a heavy toll that in
one way or another burden the entire community.

This is also means that the entire community - especially parents -
must be part of the solution.

The Drug Free Zone program is a commitment from school board
officials, police and prosecutors that they are willing to do whatever
they can within their powers to protect children.

But the responsibility to combat the influence of drugs does not end
at the limits of the four drug-free zones now established. It extends
into every home and that is why Tuesday's forum was so much more than
just a time and place to announce another program.

It was a chance for parents to learn about all aspects of drug
culture, so they can spot the warning signs once their children have
returned home from school.

The city's leadership showed some political skill and foresight in
using the forum to garner additional support for measures aimed at the
drug-related underground economy.

The city has proposed bylaw a that would hold landlords accountable
for grow-ops on their properties. While it is still going through some
adjustments and some of the proposed revisions are not without merit,
such a bylaw deserves consideration.

But the neither the bylaw nor the drug-free zones will succeed without
public support.

We encourage Penticton residents to show their support for the bylaw,
as well as the drug-free zones.

They promise to turn the tide against drugs in favour of our children.