PROVINCE TARGETS DRUG PROBLEMS

Addiction Treatment Facility, Beefed-Up Policing And Methadone Program

CHARLOTTETOWN - The Province is pumping almost $1.4 million to get
illegal drugs off the streets and help those battling drug addictions.

In the budget Tuesday, Provincial Treasurer Mitch Murphy allocated
$1 million to establish a youth addiction treatment facility and
develop a youth addictions strategy.

An additional $150,000 is going to the methadone maintenance
treatment program and $212,000 will aid the RCMP's street-level crime unit.

"It is a total program," said Health Minister Chester Gillan of the
concerted effort by his and the Attorney General's department to
address addictions from the ground up.

No decision has been made where the new youth addictions treatment
facility will go. The P.E.I. Youth Centre in Summerside had been
bandied about as a possible location, which Murphy or Gillan
wouldn't rule out.

The closest treatment facility is Sussex, N.B.

Before a location is decided the Province wants to ensure support
programs are in place.

"We have to be able to have the support for the rest of those
individuals who do not need that particular treatment facility but
still have some substance abuse," said the Health minister. "We
don't just want to open the facility and start that without
the community base."

He said the facility would likely accommodate 10 to 15 clients at a time.

More money for methadone treatment programs is also aimed at helping
those battling addictions.

Public defender Trish Cheverie applauds the move.

She said, "$150,000 is not a lot of money but it's something. I
think that is important - at least in terms of an acknowledgement
that we have to go in that direction in terms of how we're going to
deal with those serious narcotic addictions."

Getting drugs off the street is the first step in fighting
addictions, said Attorney General Mildred Dover.

Her department is getting $212,000 to add two officers to the RCMP's
street-level drug unit.

Since it was established, the unit has made strides in getting drugs
off the streets, said Dover.

"All you have to do recently is look at all the drug busts the RCMP
has successfully accomplished."

But, she admitted, more has to be done.

"We do have an issue here. There is no question about that," said
Dover. "What we're trying to do is emphasize in this budget a family
component that will help people that have addictions but also get
some of these drugs off the streets."