DRUG-FREE ZONE LAUNCHED

Police Hint More Locations Will Join The List

The signs are up, and Yellowknife's first drug-free zone is now
official.

The city worked with the RCMP, school boards, and other community
groups to launch Yellowknife's first drug free zone, an area marked
off to warn drug dealers to stay away.

The drug-free zone is more than just a game of semantics, said RCMP
Insp. Roch Fortin, last Wednesday.

"It's more than a sign, it's a community getting together," said
Fortin.

"We're starting with a small step, but we're going to make it grow
from there."

Although illicit drugs like marijuana and cocaine are illegal
everywhere, the drug-free zone will allow police to lay stiffer
charges against anyone caught dealing drugs within its boundaries. The
idea for a drug-free zone was first presented before city council at a
Priorities, Policies and Budget Committee meeting last July.

Since then, the city has been working with both school boards and the
RCMP to establish the zone.

The project is a first in Yellowknife. Fortin hinted drug-free zones
could be set up throughout the city, such as in the downtown core.