SPECIAL COMMITTEE DISCOURAGED BY LACK OF DRUG EDUCATION IN CANADA

I hope this column finds you enjoying a wonderful summer.

For me, it has been a real pleasure to spend even more time in Burlington.

As chair of the House of Commons Special Committee on the Non-medical Use of
Drugs, I spent a good part of the spring session of parliament listening to
experts and citizens from across Canada talk about the drug scene in their
community and their ideas for improvements to Canada's drug strategy.

Our work included four days of meetings in the U.S. and six days of meeting
with officials in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. To say the
least, it has been eye opening.

While it's premature to confirm what our all-party committee will report to
Parliament this fall, you may be interested in some of our observations so
far.

The nature of substance abuse varies by province and by community; but, the
misuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs (sleeping pills, pain
relief products) is pervasive.

Even legal drugs can have devastating physical impacts.

In Eastern Canada, committee members were stunned by the over-prescription
and street sales of pain killers and other addictive drugs.

Since then we learned the problem exists to differing degrees across Canada
and across all age groups.

In Montreal, the need for improved security at our ports, to better screen
the massive volume of container traffic passing through, was clearly
evident.

Right across the country, we were discouraged by the lack of meaningful
education and honest discussion, particularly with students, about drugs and
their effects.

For instance, while many people understand the need to avoid drinking and
driving, they seem less aware of the dangers of driving after smoking
marijuana or using drugs such as ecstasy.

The lack of rehabilitation and detox centres for those addicts trying to get
healthy is disappointing.

In Vancouver, there is a devastating problem with heroin and cocaine and yet
there are just six beds for youth rehabilitation. Interestingly, most of the
adult street people we met were serious addicts by the age of 16 or 17.

The rehab situation isn't great in any province. We desperately need
specific programs to really address the needs of those addicts who also
suffer from Fetal Alcohol Effect and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

There are some success stories in Canada. In Toronto, we have a really
terrific drug treatment program that helps people make lasting change. The
program for those admitted is rigorous and supportive. Needle exchanges and
condom distribution are saving lives and keeping people healthier. The sense
of community that exists within the street population gave me hope. We met
some remarkable individuals helping others and advocating for policy
changes, all the while dealing with their own addictions.

In Europe, we saw innovative harm reduction strategies at work including
supervised sites for injection drugs, and heroin and methadone maintenance
programs that reduce the chaos in individual lives -- and the crime and
property damage to communities.

If you have ideas for improving our national drug strategy, please let me
know. If you wish to follow the work of the committee, transcripts of the
hearings are available at www.parl.gc.ca.

Thank you for allowing me to do such interesting work, for all Canadians.