DRUG PROBLEM COMPLEX

Drugs Are Not A New Problem, But Remain A Large One.

"The problem of drugs has been around for years and years and years,
and it's not going to go away," RCMP Cpl. Dave Walsh said at a town
hall meeting Monday night at the Arts Centre and Theatre in Maple Ridge.

"But if can make a difference, that's the reason we are here tonight."

About 60 people attended the meeting, the third in a series about
crime, drugs and homelessness in the community. The topic Monday was
drugs.

Many at the meeting were either RCMP officers, auxiliary constables
and community policing volunteers, civic politicians and staff or
representatives of local drug and alcohol counselling and treatment
facilities.

"I'm not going to lie to you," Walsh told them. "Drugs are a very
complex issue. It's not just kids on the street using them. There are
pounds and pounds of drugs on the street. Somebody has to be using
them."

Walsh has been a police officer for 23 years, the past nine working in
the drug unit in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.

He said local police receive 125 to 150 tips a year about marijuana
growing operations and another 50 to 60 tips about drug trafficking.
Of the 94 local police officers, just four are dedicated the drug unit.

Those four officers are responsible for tracking between 200 to 400
grow-ops a year, Walsh said.

They get to about 25 grow-ops a year and to five or six of the
trafficking tips.

It takes police 120 to 180 man hours to investigate a grow-op, Walsh
said, holding up a black binder thicker than an encyclopedia. It
contains information to be forwarded to crown counsel recommending
charges against one person with a grow-op in his basement.

When Walsh started in the drug unit, he said such reports consisted of
two pages. "The rules have changed."

Police can't just kick in doors if they suspect a grow-op.

"We have to play by the rules and if we're not careful we'll be the
ones who end up in court," Walsh said.

As it is now, he added, stiffer sentences are needed to deter drug
activity. Few people are prosecuted for operating a grow-op. "We
jokingly refer to it as the catch-and-release program," Walsh said.
"That's the hard reality."

Monday's town hall meeting was an opportunity to discuss concerns and
solutions regarding drugs. One concern is organized crime.

Another local RCMP officer, Dan Herbranson, said organized crime -
specifically the Hells Angels - operates about 80% of the grow-ops in
Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.

Local police have an organized crime unit. It has two members, said
Herbranson.

He has been an member of the RCMP for 30 years and is now a school
liaison officer. He said the crime rate in Maple Ridge has risen
dramatically in the past 10 years and blames drugs. "It is so
attributable to drugs now, more so than ever."

Herbranson thinks the solution is to educate youth about the dangers
of drugs. He remembers kids smoking marijuana when he was in high
school, but back then the THC content was 3%. Now it's up to 30%.
There is no such thing as a soft drug any more, Herbranson said.

Alcohol and marijuana are gateway drugs to others, he added. He
encourages parents to watch their children, know who their friends
are, know where they are and what they are up to.

Other people at the town hall meeting told stories about men and women
sticking needles in their arms, about families being destroyed by
addiction. They expressed concerns about transients and unsupervised
children.

Most agreed that educating youth about the dangers of drugs is a
priority and that more police enforcement is needed.

Parents need to be educated too, some said.

Others called for more treatment beds, as well as more understanding
of addiction and compassion for people struggling with it. Crystal
meth was discussed.

Rob Dalzeil of Inner Visions Recovery Society and a former drug addict
fears problems associated with meth are only beginning. "It hasn't
even begun its deal yet."

Methamphetamine is the fourth most used drug among adult clients of
Alouette Addictions Services. Alcohol is the first, followed by
cocaine and pot. Meth is the fifth most used drug among youth clients
of Alouette Addictions. Pot is the first, followed by alcohol, cocaine
and hallucinogens.

Creating drug-free zones with stiff fines for those found in
violation, as well as instituting a curfew for youth were other
suggestions at the town hall meeting.

Legalizing marijuana was another, as was banning rap music.

One group said landlords needs more rights to inspect rental
properties where grow-ops are suspected.

"All the discussion comes down to accountability," a woman said.

Maple Ridge Mayor Kathy Morse said the district is almost finished
drafting a controlled substances bylaw. It is to carry fines up to
$10,000 for landlords of buildings in which grow-ops are found.

*The next town hall meeting is to be on Nov. 1 at the ACT. The topic
will be homelessness.