DRUG STRATEGY GOOD IDEA

The regional drug strategy involving several area government bodies
and other agencies, is an idea whose time has come.

That was brought out clearly in a recent session on drugs -
particularly crystal meth - held at the Alumni Theatre.

One thing which came clearly out of that event was that while the
Vermilion area may not see the amount of drugs that, say, Lloydminster
or Edmonton may, we cannot assume that they aren't here. In fact, many
people in this area perceive drugs to be a bigger problem now than
ever before.

As anyone with the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission could
attest, the cost of addiction is staggering, and not on an economic
basis.

Yes, there's the amount of money paid out in areas such as health care
and meth lab cleanup, and that is more than enough. But the human
toll, in terms of the physical and psychological effects, is even scarier.

Addicts lose their body health, in some cases looking like they've
aged 30 years when chronologically they've only aged 10. Sunken cheeks
and eyes, taut skin, wrinkles and stringy hair are just a few of the
results that occur when addicts do not care for themselves.

With today's drugs being the most potent ever, addicts also lose their
minds, leading them to do things they wouldn't otherwise do. For
example, on May 17, 1995 a young man high on crack drove an army tank
down a highway in San Diego and did not stop his rampage until he was
shot dead by police.

Finally, in many cases, addicts lose their lives when the toll on
their bodies becomes too great to bear or when they (deliberately or
otherwise) put too much of a drug into themselves.

With all these effects, it's clear a multi-pronged approach is
needed.

Drug abuse is like many other scourges in that, because one party
cannot do everything, combating it requires a communal effort. When
every municipality, organization and individual is on the same page,
and all support one another, the chances of winning the battle against
drugs is heightened and the chances of poison coming into the
community is lowered.

That's why events like the recent session are so important. Indeed,
such events should not only be done for those involved in addictions
services but should also be taken to area high schools so students can
hear first hand about the effects and, hopefully, addiction would be
prevented.