SAVING THE 'ADDICTS OF TOMORROW'

Surrey will review a proposed four-pillar drug strategy tomorrow, a
document 18 months in the making that could steer the city's approach to
drug and alcohol addiction for years to come.

The long-promised document will be discussed at Monday's regular council
meeting.

Coun. Dianne Watts, who chairs the city's drug-crime task force, would not
release the document before the meeting, but said it's based on prevention,
education, treatment and enforcement - particularly around youth.

"There is an adult problem, and we're well-aware of that," Watts said
Friday. "The task force felt because Surrey has the most children and youth
per capita in the province, we want to put a system in place whereby our
children don't become the addicts of tomorrow."

The draft document differs from Vancouver's four-pillar approach in its
focus on youth and that it doesn't include harm reduction, such as safe
injection sites and needle exchanges.

Instead it emphasizes education.

The document is the result of extensive study by SFU criminology student
Jennifer Parks and specifically targets youth, where it's believed the
first two approaches - prevention and education - can be more effective.

"Unfortunately the prevention side of things are sorely lacking," Watts
said, adding huge amounts of funding is going toward addressing the
problems after people become addicted. "If the money ... were put in
initially at the prevention and education stage, we wouldn't have the
problems we have today."

The Drug-Crime Task Force Policy paper, the city's first proposed drug
strategy, will recommend resource centres for at-risk youth.

An example is the Broadway Youth Centre in Vancouver, which provides a
health clinic, advocacy, and addiction and employment services.

Watts says the report will also examine the possibility of implementing
strategies in Surrey schools with a focus on kids under six, increase
school outreach programs, and encourage more parent involvement in the process.

With Surrey's diverse ethnic community, a broad spectrum of ethnic-specific
services would also be implemented.

The latter two pillars, treatment and enforcement, will also be focused on
youth.

The report will recommend more youth detox services, residential treatment,
and effective drug and alcohol recovery houses.

Enforcement is also a key part of the strategy, with a drug court and a
controversial plan to use drug-sniffing dogs in schools being considered.