Pubdate: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 Source: Abbotsford Times (CN BC) Copyright: 2001 The Abbotsford Times Contact: http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1009 Author: Christina Toth ABBOTSFORD AWAKENED TO DRUG PROBLEM "When I came to Abbotsford I wanted to know why so many people here buried their heads in the sand about drugs and prostitution," said Bill Wolfe, one of the sponsors of the Drugs and Reality forum held Tuesday night at Abbotsford City Hall. The three dozen or so hookers in the old downtown area of Abbotsford - where he has his self-defence school - are all there because they are slaves to their addictions, Wolfe said. Abbotsford needs to wake up to the reality it has a severe drug problem, said Wolfe and other presenters, who warned that safe injection sites or decriminalizing drugs will only exacerbate the problem. The only measures that will help are more treatment centres and broader public understanding of this pervasive social problem. The forum, which drew a packed house - including parents, teens, addicts and dealers - featured two Vancouver police officers who created two documentary films, Through the Blue Lens and Flipping the World, and two officers from the Abbotsford police department who shot their own video of local addicts. The film, shot by Abbotsford police constables Wanda Lane and Kevin Murphy, takes a voyeuristic look into a day in the life of an addicted family - mom, dad and teenage son - all of whom were squatting in a derelict house in Abbotsford last winter. They had no heat, lights or running water and lived off the money the mother made through prostitution. After a leg injury in Alberta years ago, Penny became addicted to prescribed morphine. When she couldn't get morphine in B.C., she switched to cheaper heroin. Now she hooks every day to support her habit and her family, "even Christmas Eve. It's not glamorous. I live in hell," she said. Father Rick shrugs his shoulders and says he's been on and off heroin all his life. Sixteen-year-old blond Matthew pours out a hyper confession of the smorgasbord of drugs he's ingested since he was nine; a litany which was as much bragging as it was lamenting. Shoplifting and petty crimes sustain this family. Lane said while Penny and Rick carry on much as before, Matthew has deteriorated physically as his drug intake has increased. "Underneath the Rockwellian surface of any community lay these issues," said Vancouver police Const. Toby Hinton, a veteran of the downtown Vancouver drug scene. Since prevention is a lot easier than treatment, the officers are focusing their energies on educating communities like Abbotsford. They are all adamantly against harm reduction - drug injection sites and needle exchanges - which are seen as ways to reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis C among drug users. "Safe fixing sites are an oxymoron. there is no such thing as safe heroin or cocaine. We need to be proactive about asking governments for more money for more treatment centres. Addicts need the cure, not the poison," said Vancouver Const. Al Arsenault, who admitted he was taking a political position. Randy Miller was one of the addicts featured in the Vancouver police film Flipping the World. On film, the audience saw him wild-haired, toothless and ranting as he writhed grotesquely on a dirty skid row street. He then stepped up to the mike, looking strong and healthy, and candidly shared details of his life as an addict for 13 years. "We used to pull used needles out of the wall and shoot up with them. I had sores from picking at my skin. One was so bad I picked at the ligaments in my leg," he told the audience. Langley-Abbotsford MP Randy White said more money is needed for long-term treatment centres. He said Canadians can help by participating in a drug committee which will be travelling the country, starting in the spring. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth