CITY TO REVIEW A REGION-WIDE DRUG STRATEGY

A regional anti-drug strategy drew mixed reviews from council Monday night
as city officials debated various approaches to dealing with a variety of
complex social issues.

Council has asked city staff to prepare a review of the Lower Mainland
Municipal Association's proposed 'Regional Action Plan to reduce the
Harmful Effects of Alcohol and Drug Misuse.'

In a presentation to council, LMMA spokesman and North Vancouver city
councilor Bob Fearnley said all 31 area municipalities and three regional
districts should work together to combat the social problems stemming from
drugs and alcohol.

"The plan here is to avoid displacing these problems from one municipality
to another," Fearnley said. "If there's one thing we really require it's
more treatment. There simply isn't enough treatment for addicts out there."

Fearnley said the region's three most problematic drugs are cocaine, heroin
and methamphetamines, and estimated that 75 to 80 per cent of crime is
drug-or alcohol-related.

When Coun. Nick Volkow questioned why marijuana production and use was not
targeted by the strategy, Fearnley said it was considered less of a
priority than the other substances in terms of social harm.

"It was a conscious decision, and we felt we should avoid it," Fearnley
said. "These other things are highly addictive. My personal view is that
other things (like marijuana) can be too much of a distraction to the the
other issues."

Fearnley said the region also needs to work with the provincial and federal
governments to focus on prevention, intervention and treatment, public
education and law enforcement.

While Volkow is generally in favour of any strategy to take on drug and
alcohol issues, he warned that financial support from the provincial
government was extremely unlikely.

"I personally think the cutbacks are going to sewer any probability of a
strategy like this working," Volkow said. "What you're trying to do here
isn't anything new, it's talked about all the time. The problem is you
often wind up with a lot of folks navel-gazing, trying to re-invent the wheel."

But Fearnley insists a co-ordinated effort is well worth the investment.

"We had 426 annual drug overdose deaths in BC last year, and then you add
in hepatitis, HIV and property crime _ this is costing our society a large
amount of money," he said.

Coun. Nancy Harris said the strategy lacks a response to Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome (FAS) and its effects.

Harris recalled a study which estimated that up to 60 per cent of those
incarcerated suffer from FAS or FAE, indicating the problem has a bigger
impact on society than previously thought.

"Given that so many of these people end up in corrections, should they not
partner with (the health ministry)?" she asked. "It's not a condition that
requires registering, so it's hard to keep track of. The sad thing is that
it is 100 per cent preventable."

Coun. Derek Corrigan also took issue with the strategy's negative stance on
raves - all night dance parties which have a reputation for illicit drug
and alcohol use, including minors.

Corrigan said not all raves are bad and the event should not be blamed for
the underlying social issues. In fact, he recently took his daughter to a
rave and was satisfied with the event's security.

"Raves don't create the problem, the problem's already there," he said.
"When you tell someone they can't do something without looking at it,
that's patently unfair. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater is not the
thing to do."

Mayor Doug Drummond said any effort to curb drug use and its related
problems is deserving of support.