GIVE TEENS STRAIGHT GOODS ON CRYSTAL METH

Effort Backed By Shoppers Drug Mart

Facts and not scare tactics are key to reaching teens tempted by
crystal meth, says the head of a national group dedicated to curbing
use of the potentially-lethal drug.

"Don't sugar coat it and don't overdramatize it," said Lesley Whyte,
executive director of the Council on Drug Abuse.

Beginning next month, the non-profit agency will launch the first
phase of a national crystal meth education program targeting
high-school students in a classroom setting.

Slated to roll out first in Alberta, the program will be offered free
of charge, with a curriculum developed by Dr. Ron Clavier, a senior
consultant to the Toronto-based organization.

"Teenagers, whose brains are undergoing momentous developmental
changes, are especially vulnerable to the seductive quality of
methamphetamine and to its destructive impact on their lives," Clavier said.

Teachings will focus on peer pressure, addiction, the short and
long-term effects of meth use, and methods for quitting.

National sponsor Shoppers Drug Mart has stepped forward with funding
for research and development, training, educational materials, and a web site.

The council hopes to expand the program to Ontario schools early next
year, and is now searching for regional sponsors to help cover the cost.

"There is always a drug of the moment," said Whyte. "I don't believe
this is a drug of the moment. This has huge staying power."

For roughly $90,000, the group can deliver the program to some 18,000
students, with additional educational information mailed out to homes
located within those same school districts.

"Teachers and school boards are faced with so many issues," said
Whyte. "If they can outsource part of their work to people who have
expertise in it, it can make their jobs easier."

She said raw ingredients used to produce the highly addictive
stimulant are widely available, as are a variety of recipes posted on
the Internet.

The key is convincing teens crystal meth is a drug better left untouched.

"You have to talk to them before they have made the decision to do
illicit drugs, and tell them the facts," she added. "We don't go in
and give them the scary picture, we give them the black-and-white facts."

Teens surveyed during a recent conference on substance abuse
overwhelmingly stressed a need for accurate information on the
effects of drug use.

"Hopefully, when they are faced with the question to try or not to
try, they are making an educated decision," she added.

Whyte was heartened to learn Health Canada had recently committed new
funds for crystal-meth prevention, saying the announcement signals a
welcome departure from the traditional focus on treatment.

"Prevention has always become the poor cousin," she added. "There has
always been money for harm reduction and protection stuff. But when
it comes to prevention, it has always been low on the totem pole of priority."