HEADS IN THE SAND

Does Hay River have a drug problem?

Absolutely. And the worst drug of all is alcohol - mostly because it is so
accepted.

When police bust people for pot possession, it's news all over town, and
the RCMP issue a press release.

When they catch a bootlegger or arrest someone for driving while
intoxicated, it doesn't get a mention. That's not to say the police are at
fault. Our justice system is a reflection of our society - one that is
not, as the frightening alcoholism and social services statistics show,
doing enough to addressing the problem of alcohol abuse.

As addictions counselor Anne Marie McGuire-Smith argues in our special
section on National Addictions Awareness Week, the community's denial of
the impacts of addictions mean we'll keep suffering the effects until we
commit adequate resources to the fight.

See more on pages 15-19.