DRUG USE ON THE RISE

Early intervention and greater parental involvement could help curb drug
use among Lower Mainland youth -- drug use that has climbed to nearly 80
per cent, says the Pacific Community Resources Society.

Based on questionnaires completed by nearly 2,000 12- to 24-year-olds in
five Lower Mainland communities, the society found drug use on the rise.
But particularly troubling, said PCRS addictions program manager Tom
Hetherington in a presentation to Burnaby city council Monday, was the
increased use of hard drugs like methamphetamines, ecstacy and cocaine.

Alcohol and marijuana were still the drugs of choice, the survey found,
with 57 per cent of the respondents saying they had used alcohol within the
last 30 days, and 42 per cent saying they had used marijuana.

Methamphetamine (speed, crystal meth, etc.), cocaine and ecstacy,
meanwhile, had been tried by seven to eight per cent of the respondents
within the past 30 days. Overall, 25 per cent of the respondents said they
had tried ecstacy and around 20 per cent said they used methamphetamine or
cocaine.

The use of these drugs is particularly troubling -- especially
methamphetamine -- because of their addictive and destructive nature, he
said. "This is a real problem, and it's growing."

The survey was conducted at various locations where youth congregate across
the Lower Mainland by research staff with the PCRS. Roughly 300 people in
five communities -- including Burnaby and New Westminster -- were
questioned. And while the sampling taken from individual communities is too
small to draw detailed conclusions, said Hetherington, taken in its
entirety, the study is an important one. This is the first time, he said,
that a survey had looked at drug use patterns in the 12-24 age group. The
goal of the study, said youth researcher Lyndsay Dignall, was to provide
the community with another tool to battle drug use. Researchers found that
first-time drug use starts early. Marijuana and alcohol are typically the
first drugs used, most often at around 13 years old. Harder drugs like
methamphetamine and cocaine follow in the next two years.

Dignall said that if young people can be dissuaded from using drugs during
these formative years (grades 6 to 8), they will be less likely to use them
older in life.

Schools play an important role in this education and prevention, she said.
The study found an apparent correlation between school attendance and drug
use. Young people who were currently enrolled in school were less likely to
use drugs than those outside of school.

Parents also play a crucial role. The study found that parents were the
most trusted source of information on drugs and alcohol. But ironically,
they ranked only fifth as the actual sources of information.

The report offered a number of recommendations, including broad-based
prevention strategy that targets youth during the "peak-use" years,
providing support for young people who choose not to use drugs and help for
those who do.

It would like to see parents play a greater role in drug information and
suggests they be provided with more information on how to talk to their
children about drugs and why it is important.

Noting the important role schools play in drug use prevention among young
people, the study also suggests a greater availability of information for
students in school.

The information provided by the study was welcomed by council. Still,
Councillor Pietro Calendino, a former school trustee and current teacher,
was concerned it painted too bleak a picture of drug use among young
people. He said he didn't want the impression left that more than
three-quarters of young people were regular drug and alcohol users.