DRUG AWARENESS LECTURE

Greenwood Neighbour-hood Place and Mountain View County are encouraging
parents, students and anyone else interested to attend a free lecture and
information session aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of drug abuse
in the community.

The Truth About Drugs lecture will be made by former Calgary police officer
Dwayne Peace at the Arts Centre on Dec. 13 starting at 7 p.m.

"Drugs anywhere are a serious problem," Peace told the Round Up. "What we
are seeing in the rural communities is an increase in the use of meth
compared to the cities and alcohol is also a problem with youth in rural
communities. Meth is a very serious drug and will be discussed as will
other drugs on that evening.

"Today's teens often overlook the dangers they face when using drugs -
including rape, homelessness, suicide, jail time, and the inability to
focus or study. The damage drugs inflict is not always obvious - but here
they discover the real consequences for themselves, their friends and
family, innocent babies, everyone."

Everyone can benefit from knowing more about drugs and the dangers of
abuse, said Marita Stermann, coordinator at Greenwood Neighbour-hood Place.

"It will be a good evening," said Stermann. "It would be great if everyone
came out and heard the information about drug awareness in the community.
It will show that the community is dealing with the problem and these
issues, and knowing more about it is the first step.

"We hear about problems and we are no different than any other community.
It's best to be proactive, which is what we are trying to do with this."