DRUG AWARENESS A 'PARENTAL ISSUE'

Program hopes to arm parents with the needed tools to combat drug use

For parents, one of the most troubling challenges of raising children is
steering them away from drugs.

A new community program, hosted by Living Springs Christian Fellowship, is
aimed at equipping parents with tools and knowledge to deal with drug
issues.

"We wish that not one child had to deal with the incredible pressure to try
drugs and alcohol," said Marilyn Jeske, organizer of How to Drug-Proof Your
Kids. "Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of kids you know and love
will experiment with these substances."

The program concentrates on the important role played by parents or
significant caregivers, Jeske said, which can reduce the risk of drug use.

"It also equips parents to establish protective boundaries that will assist
their children to make good choices," she said.

While providing community-based support, the program helps parents and
families increase awareness and knowledge and develop strategies, while at
the same time providing relevant information.

"Far too many parents assume the monumental problem of drug abuse will never
touch their children," Jeske said. "Wonderful families (are) blown apart and
caught totally by surprise when drugs and alcohol become an intimate reality
in their families."

Along the same lines, a recent community seminar -- designed to raise
awareness and offer facts about street drugs and their use -- touched on
issues talked about in Airdrie and across the country.

"At the forefront, it's a parental issue," said Det. Steve Walton, a Calgary
Police Service veteran who hosted last month's seminar. "We need to know who
our children are running with."

Throughout his presentation, Walton offered the straight goods on the
effects of such drugs as ecstasy, marijuana, magic mushrooms and inhalants.
Speaking about what he termed classic and emerging drug trends, he detailed
physical and psychological responses to a wide variety of street drugs, as
well as listing such reasons for drug use as disassociation, peer pressure
and fun-or pleasure-seeking.

For Walton, providing as much information as possible allows for better
decision-making. Rather than preaching, he prefers to let young people and
their parents know just what they're dealing with when it comes to drugs.

"The issues concerning street drugs are profound," Walton said. "I can give
back what I have been taught, I can give back what I've seen on the street."

Airdrie resident Dwayne Clayden, who organized the seminar, knows through
personal experience in both the policing and emergency medical fields the
devastation caused by drugs. Although street drugs have always been a
dangerous problem, Clayden has seen changes over the years in the street
drug environment.

"My feeling is that it's much more targeted and focused to the youth and a
lot younger," he said.

That said, such initiatives as the awareness seminar and the drug-proofing
program are offering means to better prepare Airdrie's young people and
their families when it comes to drug use.

How to Drug-Proof Your Kids will run for five Sunday evening sessions, 6-8
p.m., Nov. 3 to Dec. 3. Living Springs is sponsoring the cost of the
program, although the cost of a parents' manual is $20. For more
information, call 948-7742.

Impact of drugs devastating

While much talk about drugs is centred on psychological effects, the
physical effects can be devastating.

In an effort to de-romanticize street drugs, community programs are
addressing the facts about drug use and effects. Calgary Police Service Det.
Steve Walton, who recently hosted a seminar in Airdrie, is an expert in the
field. Having worked on the drug squad for more than a decade, Walton has
put much time and effort into learning more about such substances as
marijuana, ecstasy, ketamine and LSD.

"I think we fight it by being informed," he said.

Following are a few of the drugs with which Walton and his colleagues have
come in contact:

- - Ecstasy, an emergent drug trend, is a largely unknown substance. A
powerful central nervous system stimulant, ecstasy, or MDMA, can result in
high blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature, as well as being
highly addictive, Walton said. "You might as well hold a revolver to your
head with one bullet, playing Russian roulette," he said.

And while the research isn't clearcut as to long-term effects -- whether or
not entire brain cells die or if only part of them is affected -- one thing
is clear.

"The bottom line is there's cellular degradation," said Dr. Trevor Gilbert,
of the University of Calgary psychology department. "(And) if a cell dies,
it's not going to come back."

- - Ketamine, or K or Special K or vitamin K, is a disassociative drug which
is actually a veterinary anesthetic. "This is a drug that's being used by
sexual predators," Walton said.

Ketamine combines the effects of an analgesic, hallucinogen, stimulant and
depressant.

"PCP and ketamine act very similarly," Gilbert said, adding that there is
definite concern of long-term brain cell damage associated with such drugs.

- - Inhalants, which include such substances as household cleaners, solvents
and glue, are powerful depressants, usually used by the seven-to 17-year-old
age group. As they have never been intended for human consumption, they can
cause massive brain damage from first use, as well as leading to compulsive
behaviour.

"This is a group of substances that we tend to ignore in our society,"
Walton said, "(but) they're absolutely deadly."

- - Marijuana has long been at the centre of controversy.

"It's portrayed as a drug that's harmless," Walton said, "and that is just
wrong -- it causes harm."

According to Walton, smoke generated from burning marijuana contains 2,200
more toxins and carcinogens than tobacco.

- - Methamphetamine was once referred to as crank or speed and now goes by
such names as ice, jib or crystal meth.

"It's horribly addictive," Walton said, adding that a first-time user has a
42 per cent chance of becoming addicted, while the addiction rate rises to
96 per cent with more than one use.

- - Magic mushrooms, also known as psilocybin, are not poisonous, but are
not edible. As such, their use can lead to bleeding ulcers and pre-cancerous
lesions on the stomach lining.

- - LSD, a powerful hallucinogen, has been around since the 1930s. Effects
can include extremely bizarre behaviour and it can quickly lead to overdose,
as well as chronic abuse due to psychological dependence.