STUDENT DRUG USE RISING

Six years ago, the Central Okanagan school district sent home 57 students
with suspensions for drug offences.

Last year, the figure was 254.

"It's going up because, despite our best efforts, drug use is becoming far
more blatant and aggressive," said schools superintendent Ron Rubadeau.

There appears to be little fear among student drug users of being caught,
even though it means an automatic suspension, possibly indefinitely.

"If you're toking up on campus, you're not just being cheeky, you're asking
for it," said Rubadeau.

The number of suspensions reflects the number of students caught at school.
Many more evade the educators or get high off school grounds.

The schools have anti-drug programs aimed at different ages and a
no-tolerance zone at all schools. Kids caught are suspended.

Still, the initiatives don't seem to be cutting down on drug use.

"We're not feeling we're making progress on this issue," said Rubadeau.

According to a recent Lower Mainland youth drug use survey by Pacific
Community Resources, alcohol and drug use is rampant among young people. Of
the 12- to 24-year-olds polled, 58 per cent said they had used alcohol in
the past month and 42 per cent had used pot in the same time frame.

Both substances appear easy for teens to get. More than 80 per cent of
those asked said they could get alcohol within 24 hours, and 81 per cent
could score pot.

A local youth drug and alcohol counsellor wasn't surprised.

"It's easier to buy pot than cigarettes. You need ID to buy cigarettes,"
said Jody Meyer, a counsellor at a private treatment centre in Kelowna
called Venture Academy.

He deals with teens after they're caught at school or at home. He has seen
kids as young as eight start drinking or smoking marijuana, while the
average age for the first try is about 13.

He urges parents to open the lines of communication with their teenagers.

"Find out how much they're doing and what they're doing it for," he said.
"Is it for recreation, boredom, to cope with feelings, stress?"

"It's not recreational anymore if they're saying 'this is how I deal with
life,'" he said.

Many don't fear alcohol or pot because they're deemed "soft drugs," but
Meyer pointed out alcohol kills, despite being widely sold and promoted.
It's also addictive and termed a gateway drug because it may lead to other
more physically destructive drugs such as heroin, cocaine or the currently
popular crystal methamphetamine.

At Kelowna's new two-bed youth detox centre, operated by Okanagan Families
Society, counsellor Ira Roness said pot and alcohol don't necessarily
translate to other drug use, but parents need to beware.

"Any amount needs to be looked at. It shouldn't be brushed aside," he said.
"It's hard to say what level is acceptable."

There's also an eerie link between substance abuse and mental health problems.

According to studies in the British Medical Journal, teens who smoke pot at
least once a week have a higher chance of suffering from schizophrenia and
depression.

Roness said the link between addictions and mental health is a strong one;
people with addictions are essentially self-medicating themselves.

"A lot of things with addiction will mimic mental health issues," he said,
"although it's hard to determine which comes first."