DRUG ISSUE TAKES CENTRE STAGE

PARRSBORO - The severity of the local drug problem remains a subject
of debate, but at least one group of parents is convinced that illegal
drugs are rampant in this small town.

Parents and community members were given a drug awareness presentation
by representatives from the RCMP and Addictions Services in a public
meeting at Fundy Geological Museum Tuesday night, following several
sessions given earlier that day to students at Parrsboro Regional High
School.

The crowd in attendance at the museum was small, but many of those who
were there complained of "hard drugs" such as cocaine and crystal meth
being sold in Parrsboro, and pleaded with the police for answers.

"There are hard drugs in this town," said one parent, referring to
methamphetamine. Another spoke of visiting relatives who walked down
Main Street last summer and found it "in a heartbeat."

But Sgt. Peter Keirstead, who heads up drugs and organized crime
awareness for the RCMP in Nova Scotia, seemed to cast doubt on these
reports when he pointed out that there has never been a crystal meth
seizure in the province. One parent assured him otherwise.

"I'm not saying the RCMP aren't doing their job, but we know drugs
exist in this town," said the parent, who explained that he learned
the information from his tearful child at a detox facility. "If you're
of the understanding that it doesn't exist in this town, then we're
just telling you different, that's all. It's here."

Keirstead's presentation featured information about different types of
drugs, statistics, and stories of his own experiences as a 31-year
member of the force, 14 of them in the drug section. He was followed
by James Shedden of Addiction Services, who focused on the different
types of addictions, risk factors, protective factors and resiliency
methods.

Local RCMP Cpl. John James acknowledged that there are illegal drugs
being sold and used in Parrsboro, but that police need good
information and credible evidence before they can make arrests or
perform searches.

Both he and Const. Jeff Davidson encouraged anyone with any
information about the activity to bring it forward to them.

Local youth are turning to drugs to escape from reality and fight
boredom because of a lack of activities outside of school, according
to Shedden, who shared some interesting statistics about drug use.
Among 19 to 29-year-olds in Canada, 90 per cent use alcohol, 42 per
cent use marijuana and 22 per cent use tobacco, while two to three per
cent use other drugs.