COMMUNITY WILL WAGE WAR ON DRUG PROBLEM

Parents, students and medical staff in the community gathered to combat the
developing drug problem in the area head on.

This past Wednesday evening, a Madawaska Valley District High School
(MVDHS) parent council meeting was the staging ground for the first battle
against drug abuse in the area. A larger than usual crowd came out to
discuss their concerns about the local increase in drug use, especially at
the high school.

"In the last month or so, I won't say there has been an increase use of
drugs, but many suspensions have been drug related," Mike Shulist, MVDHS
principal, said to open the discussion.

He is concerned about the number of suspensions for drug possession and a
more open attitude toward marijuana use.

There are various drugs that are suspected being abused by some students
and adult members of the community.

"A number of youth in the community are using the drug Percocet,"

Shulist said. "There's Ritalin, Tylenol, Gravol - it turns out that 15
(pills) makes them high. And we can't do a thing about it."

He said that students are not breaking the law if they carry Tylenol or Gravol.

According to Health Canada, the three most commonly abused prescription
drugs are CNS depressants (benzodiazepines such as valium) that decrease
brain activity, opioids including morphine, codeine, oxycodone and Demerol,
and stimulants such as Ritalin.

According to Health Canada, Oxycodone has been available for many years in
combination with other narcotics, including Percocet. Oxycodone is a
narcotic frequently used as a pain reliever that produces an opiate-like
effect similar to morphine. However, it has led to increased abuse and
addiction.

"When crushed or chewed and either inhaled by the nose, injected (crushed
and dissolved in water) or swallowed, the Oxycodone will be released and
absorbed rapidly producing a heroin-like effect euphoria," according to
Health Canada.

Some local medical staff also attended the meeting to discuss their
concerns about drug use in the community.

Darlene Sernoskie, director of operations at St. Francis Memorial Hospital,
said she is concerned with the drug problem in the area.

"The emergency department has more people coming in overdosed, some adults
too, asking for help to get off it," she said.

Sernoskie said Percocets are a highly-addictive pain medication that can
only be dispersed through a prescription.

"This is a serious issue. They come through prescriptions and then sold on
the street," she said.

Shulist said abuse of prescription medication is a serious problem.

"Its primary purpose is to relieve chronic pain," he said. "The abuse comes
when it's crushed and snorted to give a quick rush."

Local business owners have witnessed the increase of drug abuse in the area.

"Friday and Saturday night I see - and some of the parents are here - where
their kids are on drugs," Marty Recoskie, owner of Generations Family
Restaurant, said.

Speculation at the meeting suggested the drug problem in the area has been
going on for several years now.

"For eight years businesses in town have been selling drugs," one parent
accused.

Reeve John Hildebrandt was unaware of the drug problem in the Madawaska Valley.

"I was surprised to hear this was happening," he said. "This sort of thing
is usually centred at schools and surrounding areas."

Shulist attributed the problem to several sources. He said the Internet is
one source where all sorts of information can be accessed, including
prescription purchases. He also suggested that youth boredom and
experimentation might also play a role in the problem.

The Health Canada website has links to information about drug abuse, the
Addiction Help - Drug Prevention and Rehabilitation website. According to
the addiction help site, OxyContin (oxycodone) is an opium derivative, the
same active ingredient as in Percodan and Percocet. Although OxyContin is
intended for use by terminal cancer patients and chronic pain sufferers, it
has led to ever-increasing abuse and addiction.

According to the Media Awareness Project Organization, Canada's chief
coroners and medical examiners are preparing a national alert on the abuse
of OxyContin, a drug they say has caused 250 overdose deaths in Ontario
since 1998.

"OxyContin abuse is spreading for a variety of reasons. First, the elevated
opiate dosage makes it highly addictive. Second, in contrast to drugs such
as cocaine or heroin that can be laced with other substances, with
OxyContin you know how much of the drug you are getting; the dosage is
consistent and it is a dependable high," the addiction help site stated.

It also pointed out that it is easier and less expensive to get
prescription drugs than street drugs.

"OxyContin is covered by most health insurance plans, so it is
significantly cheaper than street drugs. OxyContin has been referred
to as "hillbilly heroin" or "the poor (person's) heroin."

Overdose symptoms can include slowness in breathing, seizures, dizziness,
weakness, loss of consciousness, coma, confusion,
tiredness, cold and clammy skin and small pupils. The site reported that
OxyContin abuse is becoming an epidemic in several rural areas.

Shulist is struggling with the question of why this is happening and he's
not certain how to deal with the ongoing problem. However, there are a few
ideas in the works.

"I don't know why, or how to stem the problem," he said. "There are
teenagers who smoke marijuana every day."

He mentioned a young person's drug related death in Whitney had prompted
students and teachers to become actively involved in battling the drug problem.

School staff will take a serious approach to education and preventing drug
abuse and trafficking on school property.

"Our role is education and we will do whatever we can," Shulist said.

The school has a few ideas that it's exploring to try and curb drugs at
MVDHS, although they have no jurisdiction over the rest of the community.

Hildebrandt said that the community and the high school need to combat the
problem as a team.

"I would like to offer the township office as a facility for concerned
people to get together. (Councillor) Sylvie (Yantha) can put some plans
together," he said. "It's not just the high school it's the community."

Shulist said the school has a relationship with the OPP and officers visit
the school periodically.

"There is an increased presence of OPP in the school."

He said the officers visit the students in the cafeteria and even venture
out to the smoking area, off school property, to talk with students.

The school is contemplating bringing in the Canine Unit of the OPP to
search for drugs in the school.

"Last year and this September, I informed students that might happen. We're
actively looking at it this year," Shulist said.

Cst. Hans Schirmer, of the Killaloe OPP detachment, was at the meeting to
provide input about the drug problem in the area.

He said that police dogs can detect marijuana and cocaine but often times
drug dealers conceal the smell with strong scents like coffee.

Schirmer would like to see the community and the police work together in
combating the drug problem in the area, but to date he said they are
dealing with a lack of tangible information.

"We are the last to know and that's unfortunate," he said. "There is no
co-operation from the community and very few calls to CrimeStoppers."

He reminded people that all calls to CrimeStoppers are completely
anonymous. He has personally experienced help from the community and the
caller likely saved a life, he said.

Schirmer also said parents should keep up-to-date on their children's
activities. He said that parents should be careful not to give young people
too much freedom while living in their home.

He said it is not a good idea for a child to have a lock on their bedroom
door. He also said it is not the best idea for a parent to charge rent.
Schirmer said those freedoms automatically give youth more privacy they
should otherwise not have.

David Kaiser, board representative for Bonnechere Valley, Killaloe-Hagarty
& Richards, Madawaska Valley, Brudenell, Lyndoch & Raglan, took in people's
concerns and concluded that the majority of the group wanted to see the
canine unit in the school, at least as a deterrent.

Kaiser said that it is ultimately Shulist's decision but he would have to
run it by the board and follow procedure.

Hildebrandt wants to get started on fighting the problem, whatever it
takes. For starters, he wants to see the canine unit at the high school.

"Let's not think about it, let's do it," he said.

Another parent said there is a history of non-interference in the community
and that could be the reason the drug problem has not been addressed.

"This is an area where people don't like to say much and at the other
spectrum there are parents with joints," one concerned parent said.

Sernoskie said that local people with a drug problem don't have access to
information or resources in the area.

"If these people want help they have to go to Ottawa," she said.

Concerned hospital staff, groups and individuals will be holding a meeting
in late January to discuss ways to confront the drug problem. A date and
location have yet to be determined.

"Health Canada is aware of increasing concerns about the possible misuse
and abuse of oxycodone-based products in Canada."

It has established a federal, provincial and territorial committee to
discuss issues including the abuse of narcotics, controlled substances,
alcohol and prescription drugs.

Similar to heroin, it is almost impossible to stop taking OxyContin cold
turkey because the withdrawal symptoms are worse than heroin and last
longer. It is essential for an abuser of OxyContin to get professional
addiction treatment as soon as possible, the site confirmed. Treating
opioid drug addiction is much like treating heroin addiction with methadone
and behavioural counselling.

For more information visit www.drug-rehab-addiction-treatment.com/ or call
1-877-465-8080.