JOINING FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

Students Helping To Organize First Community Expo

AT 16, Meghan Courcelles is drug-free.

Co-president of her graduating class at John Taylor Collegiate,
Meghan says she's not interested in experimenting with popular street
drugs because she doesn't want to ruin her life and can't see any
pleasure in doing it.

Unfortunately, Meghan says some of her peers don't share the same view.

Meghan says hard drugs are becoming more popular with school-age
kids, and knows people who use everything from cocaine and ecstasy to
crystal meth. She says most teens don't realize the harmful effects
of the substances they're using, and how easily they can get
addicted. "It's not so much it's getting worse in terms of numbers,
it's getting worse in terms of what drug it is," she says.

For the last few weeks, Meghan, along with 25 of her peers, has been
working to recruit youth to attend tonight's first community drug
expo in her St. James community -- Popular Street Drugs: Trends,
Interventions and Local Responses. Aside from panel discussions and
focus groups with local experts, organizers are hoping that free
pizza, beverages, prizes and evening host Ace Burpee will encourage
youth to attend the expo with their parents.

"I think it'll be more reaching out to kids that aren't into drugs
(yet)," Meghan says.

A 2004 school survey of 6,600 students from Grade 7 to 12 by the
Addictions Foundation of Manitoba found that the most used drugs were
alcohol, marijuana and mushrooms. Foundation researchers also report
that children as young as 12 are starting to experiment with drugs.

Candace Borger, administrator with Education Support Services at
Jameswood School, says the expo comes at a time when alcohol and drug
use is on the rise with younger students and takes place the week
before Drug Awareness Week. Borger says the St. James Neighbourhood
Resource Network, along with representatives from the St.
James-Assiniboia School Division, Family Services and Addictions
Foundation of Manitoba, joined forces for the event to provide more
information on community resources and supports for youth and their families.

According to Borger, because alcohol and drug use is becoming more
prevalent with younger students, it's important to provide
information on what the community can do to prevent it and increase
drug awareness among local youth.

"It's not as though in St. James we have a huge drug issue," she
says. "We're looking at it as more of a preventative measure in the community."

But not everyone agrees there isn't a problem.

Barry Chambers is the facility manager at Sturgeon Creek Community
Centre, a neighbourhood gathering spot for hockey, bingo and people
of all ages during the week. Three years ago, Chambers says, he would
routinely pick up tiny bags used for carrying marijuana on the
centre's grounds and occasionally catch a few youths smoking. What
Chambers found last Monday was a bit more troubling.

During a mid-afternoon inspection of the centre's property, Chambers
picked up 11 needles -- the only time in three years he's ever had to
clean up drug paraphernalia during school hours. Neighbours told
Chambers they saw a group of youth gathered at the centre during the
day, but Chambers says he isn't sure what kind of drug students were injecting.

"If they're using stuff like (cocaine or crystal meth) I don't know
how you're going to stop it," he says.

At Gallery drop-in centre, youth-engagement co-ordinator Adam
Hannibal says he regularly hears teens 13 to 16 divulge the secrets
about their drug use. At this age, Hannibal says they are just
beginning to experiment with different drugs, and most are not
concerned about using substances because they have not had any bad
experiences yet.

Hannibal says it's been difficult to convince youth to attend the
drug expo and that whether people believe it or not, there is a drug
problem in the community. Teens confide in Hannibal about their
semi-regular use of marijuana, alcohol and cocaine, which Hannibal is
convinced is prevalent everywhere.

"A large portion of our kids do drugs on a semi-regular basis," he
says. "Whether the kids (in St. James) are hiding it better, there
definitely is (a prevalence)."

Popular Street Drugs: Trends, Interventions and Local Responses runs
from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Jameswood School at 1 Braintree Cres. at
Ness Avenue and Olive Street.