FIGHT DRUG PROBLEM ON BOTH ENDS

Dear Sir:

Are we losing the war on drugs? Is education the answer? Is enforcement the
answer? Are the penalties strong enough to discourage drug use? If Mom and
Dad are doing it- will you do it?

The issue of drugs in school reared its ugly head again earlier this year
in Steinbach. How have things changed since I was a high school student in
the '70s? Have things changed at all?

When I was a teenager I would have known whom to ask if I wanted to buy
marijuana. No one ever asked me if I wanted to buy some. Is it any
different for high school students today? When I asked my children, both
recent grads of the SRSS, if they had ever been approached by anyone trying
to sell them drugs at school, both of them said no. So if the drug
situation isn't changing, why are we unable to solve it?

The RCMP and the SRSS administration cooperate and have a good
relationship. The police have been invited to visit the school unannounced
at any time. One problem that seems to exist is that the RCMP receives
information too late. If police get information about something that
happened the day before or even hours earlier, it is often too late to do
anything about it.

According to Staff Sergeant John Olbort, when a person is charged for
selling small amounts of marijuana there is a misconception that it is a
victimless crime. In most cases the seller doesn't approach others, the
user seeks out the dealer. In most cases if someone is caught with
possession of marijuana they won't rat out the dealer, for fear of
retaliation. In almost all cases young people who try marijuana have tried
smoking cigarettes first.

It is a known fact that marijuana is a gateway drug to other stronger drugs
like ecstasy and crack. Young people who have never tried drugs should not
ignore expert evidence that the stuff is harmful. They should think about
"what am I getting into?" A $100/day drug habit often leads to a life of
crime to support the habit.

Drugs are a big problem in Steinbach. Is it because drinking is an evil
thing in Steinbach and pot is easier to hide? The drug problem in Steinbach
is not unique and not just a local problem-it is much bigger, it is a
national problem and it is federally regulated.

In discussion with Steinbach RCMP and SRSS administration and high school
students the message that continually comes through is that prevention
starts in the home. What kind of behavior is being modeled in the home? Is
there a double standard?

An example was given to me by Staff Sergeant Olbort when they give
presentations to grade 6 students. He asked the students that if there were
a cereal clearly labeled that it would cause cancer, would they eat it? The
students said no. Then he asked, if a rock star or someone they idolized
was eating it, would they eat it? Then he asked, if you were sitting at the
table with your parents and they were eating the cereal, would they eat it?

Another message that seems to coming through is that the courts are too
lenient. The punishment is not severe enough to discourage it. The maximum
penalty for a second offence of possession of more than 30 grams of
marijuana can be as high as $2,000 with a year in jail. When is the last
time you heard of someone doing jail time for possession of marijuana?

The courts clearly are not handing out the maximum penalties. Why not?
Frequently the offender gets only an absolute discharge, in very few cases
do they even get a fine or community hours. Why are the courts not giving
out maximum penalties? Is it because the jails are full and they are just a
school for criminals? Maybe the courts don't want to send an otherwise
"good" citizen to jail because they will just get corrupted there.

Why would the police bother charging someone with possession if the courts
just give out absolute discharges? When the police catch someone with
illegal drugs the drugs have to be sent away for testing to prove that is
what they really are. There are reams of paperwork for the police to do,
including court appearances. All that work and then often the court hands
out an absolute discharge.

The federal government has said the war on illegal drugs has been given
high priority. On a recent TV newscast it said there are now 500 full
fledged Hell's Angels in Canada. Recently in Winnipeg a police officer's
house was bombed. Are the courts and the politicians who make the laws
afraid of retaliation? If they are, who is running this country? Next time
you have an opportunity to speak with a federal politician, how about
asking them how we are doing on the war on drugs in Canada.

I believe that the problem has to be fought from both ends. At one end the
federal government must hand out stiffer penalties; in some countries there
is no drug problem because the penalties are so harsh. At the other end,
the message is to parents, please do not ignore suspicious behavior from
your children and model positive behavior. We as parents need to stop
ignoring that there is a drug problem, talk about it and do something about it.

There are a lot of churches in Steinbach. If you believe in prayer, start
praying now and ask others to pray. Make it an issue that your church will
address and do something about. Just please don't ignore that there is a
problem.

Eleanor Guderian

Chair, SRSS Parent Council 2001-02

Steinbach, MB