DRUG CONFERENCE NOV. 24-25

Organizers of Taber's drug awareness conference Nov. 24 and 25
developed a positive addiction when Taber Community Against Drugs was
formed, as they are hooked on making a difference.

Since November 2004, the education and prevention subcommittee of
Taber Community Against Drugs (TCAD) has been planning the Hooked on
Hope conference, which takes place during National Addictions
Awareness Week.

The session will put Taber's drug problem in the spotlight, to promote
awareness about use and abuse of illegal drugs.

"This is just the start. We wanted to start with a bang." says Kerry
Milder, who heads the education and prevention group. "We wanted to
draw attention to the problems in town and in a sense be preventative
too. It is not as big of a problem here as it is in places like
Drayton Valley."

The group is paying for the conference with a contribution agreement
of $9,000 it received from the Drugs Strategy Community Initiatives
Fund, and is using a portion of the $5,000 it was given from the
Lion's Club golf tournament. Milder hopes the conference will
reinforce the need for methamphetamine to be considered more serious
when traffickers of the drug are dealt with legally. She also wants
the event to emphasize how dangerous drugs like cocaine and
methamphetamine are.

Members want to educate community members, so when they see drug deals
taking place, they will call the police and know what to do to get
addicts the help they need.

"If you don't have an educated community, you are not likely to be
reporting anything," says Milder. "If the community is aware of what
to look for, understands the drugs and how deadly they are, it will
improve the reporting and ensure the community will be safe."

On Thursday, a lunch in, which Alberta's Health Minister Iris Evans is
attending, will take place for invited guests. Dr. Colleen Klein will
also be present at the lunch and will speak to students at both
schools that day.

During the day, Alvin Law, whose body was deformed when his mother
took a prescription drug to treat morning sickness, will deliver an
inspiring message to students at both schools.

On Thursday evening, a parent/community drug information session will
be held at Taber Christian school.

An all-day seminar will take place at the Heritage Inn on Friday, Nov.
25, with Law and two other guest speakers, who are experts on illegal
drugs, giving talks.

On Nov. 25, Steve Walton, a retired detective who was a 24-year member
of the Calgary Police Service and worked on a drug unit for nine of
those years, will be speaking. The other speaker is David Cook, the
director of the Division of Studies in Medical Education at the
University of Alberta.

"People are going to hear a consistent message from experts in the
field" says Taber's police Insp. Graham Abela. "Dr. Cook's information
is awesome and eye opening. He tells it like it is. People will
understand by the end of his presentation that these are not
recreational substances -- they are poisons."

While nothing has been finalized, TCAD has discussed having a seminar
after the conference is over for family members and friends of those
with drug addictions.

The group also plans to determine what type of education should be
provided to younger kids. Members will look to parents and teachers
for input on what types of drug information would be appropriate for
young kids to learn about. Milder says they will start with educating
at the Grade 5 level, as it is already in the Alberta education curriculum.

The deadline for people to sign up for the conference is Friday,
unless spots are full by then. Registration fees are $20 for community
members and $50 for agencies and professionals who deal with people
who are using drugs.

Those who can not afford to attend the conference, but would like to
take it in, can fill out a form at the Taber Police Station to be
subsidized.