DRUG REPORT CARD

About 75 minutes into his presentation, Marvin Krank was at a loss for
words.

The OUC associate vice president was giving members of Lake Country Parent
Advisory Committees an update on a student survey concerning drugs, alcohol,
sex and violence. Earlier in the presentation, called Project on Adolescence
Trajectories and Health (PATH), Krank stressed the importance of not losing
credibility with your son or daughter.

"Don't lie or exaggerate. Once they discredit the source, it's too late. If
you don't know the answer, say you don't know. Don't lose your credibility,"
said Krank most emphatically.

However, during the question and answer period, a Lake Country mother
inquired how she should answer if her Grade 6 son asked her if she had ever
used marijuana. Krank had no answer at the ready and some other PAC members
suggested the mom lie, saying she never inhaled or claim she couldn't
recall.

Eventually Krank came back with a theory. "I wouldn't volunteer it and I
wouldn't say 'I used to smoke up all the time.' But you should be honest."

As part of his sobering message, Krank's statistics indicated Lake Country's
youth are following peer trends across North America and experimenting with
risky behaviour. Alcohol is the top drug use of choice. By Grade 9, 60 per
cent of students reported to have tried alcohol, 40 per cent claim to have
been drunk in the past month and 20 per cent in the past week.

"Some don't know whether getting drunk is a good thing or a bad thing," said
Krank.

In terms of tobacco use, the anti-smoking message seems to be hitting home
with male students, but not so much with their co-eds. "Guys aren't smoking,
the girls are. Girls are not slowing down."

In the marijuana section of the survey, between 10 and 12 per cent say
they've used pot in the last week. "If your kid perceives you use marijuana,
it's twice as likely they'll try marijuana. But if their friends use
marijuana, they're five times as likely to try it."

In terms of bullying, 12 per cent of students surveyed say they have been
bullied in the past week and 50 per cent expect to be bullied in the future.

"These studies are not outside normal ranges. They aren't acceptable, but
not outside normal (range)," said Krank about bullying.

Another negative violence statistic is pushing a girlfriend/boyfriend is
reported in those Grades 10 to 12.

Students who watch late night television are reported to be more likely to
use drugs, alcohol. Those using first-person shooter video games also tend
to be more violent. The survey also asked students to what jumps to mind
when they hear the word 'draft.'

"If you're in Grade 7 and the first thing you write down is 'beer,' there's
a good chance you'll lean towards drinking."

Krank says another telling exercise is to ask students to complete the
following sentence. 'When I want to have fun I...' If the student uses
'drinking' or 'smoking pot,' these are obvious red flags.

Lake Country-Ellison Trustee Anna Hunt-Binkley said school boards are
sending letters to the federal government, opposing the decriminalising of
marijuana and asked for Krank's opinion on the subject. Krank said there
were two sides of the coin. One being the decriminalising of marijuana would
lead to more use by students, but it would also cut down on legal hassles
with kids who experiment with the narcotic.

The use of Ecstasy, or 'X,' by students does not appear to be going down.
Krank says the drug is being promoted as being safe, but nothing could be
further from the truth. "It kills brain cells. It's not benign. It's not
safe."

Parents wanting hard evidence of the effects of various drugs on the human
brain can access an informative Web Site at (http://www.nida.nih.gov/

At the start of the question-answer period, one naive parent asked if she
could see the survey completed by her kid. Krank politely told her the
survey was confidential, as protecting student anonymity was vital to the
success of the PATH program.