Pubdate: Tue, 20 May 2003 Source: Powell River Peak (CN BC) Copyright: 2003 Peak Publishing Ltd. Contact: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=1998 Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/734 SCHOOLS REACT TO DRUG PROBLEM At a time when the federal government is moving toward decriminalizing possession of marijuana, school trustees are left shaking their heads at the mixed messages being sent to Canada's youth. Earlier this year trustees sent a letter to minister of education Christy Clarke about how permissive marijuana use is a significant threat to the health and education of children in BC. "Marijuana may be a benign drug for adults, but it's a far different story for adolescents," said school board chairwoman Pauline Galinski. A recent meeting between School District 47, the RCMP and the municipality concluded that the issue of drug use among youth is a significant problem for the community and schools. In Powell River, school trustees are not satisfied the high school completion rate, which showed 32.2 per cent of 18-year-olds not graduating in 1999. They're alarmed by findings of the McCreary Centre Society's study that states marijuana use by BC secondary students has increased from 25 per cent in 1992 to 40 per cent in 1999. A recently released high school retention project by Team Soapbox agrees with those findings. The report surveyed 381 youth in the North Island region, which includes Powell River, and concluded a large percentage of students are doing poorly or dropping out of school due to frequent drug use--in and out of school. Recently a forum was initiated by the school district to increase awareness about the issue among service providers. Members of Team Soapbox attended and passed on their findings about why students leave school early. As for the effect of marijuana on young people, Galinski points to a study by University of British Columbia addiction specialist Dr. Ray Baker. He says marijuana compromises short-term memory, cognitive ability and personal initiative. "These are disastrous side effects for young people who are working to achieve success in school and launch themselves into the next stage of their lives." The Peak begins a series today about drugs and Powell River's youth. The series starts off with the story of Krystal Meade--a Powell River teenager who became an addict and her journey to recovery. - --- MAP posted-by: Alex