Pubdate: Sun, 13 Mar 2005
Source: Morning Star, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 The Morning Star
Contact:  http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1352
Author: Cara Brady
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

DRUG USE CLIMBING

Editor's Note: This is the first in a series focusing on drug abuse.

Doug Rogers is worried about student drug use.

"They are using more and what they are using is more harmful. They don't 
know what they are getting."

As School District 22 Drug and Alcohol Prevention Counsellor, he makes it 
his business to know the local drug scene.

One of the most popular street drugs is the stimulant Ecstasy which causes 
irreversible chemical changes in the brain. But most people who think they 
are buying Ecstasy are really getting something else which could include 
paint thinner and bathroom cleaners. Some sellers add crystal meth as an 
invisible starter to addiction.

Crystal meth, one of the most highly addictive substances, is also being 
added to marijuana to recruit new addicts. This makes for lifelong 
customers because the recovery rate from crystal meth addiction is less 
than 10 per cent due to permanent brain damage.

"If your kid goes out the door Monday morning and does meth, your same 
child will not come back to you. In Vernon, nine out of 10 Ecstasy pills 
contain something else. Some parents don't worry too much about marijuana 
because they may have tried it and didn't get addicted but marijuana is so 
much stronger than it used to be."

Rogers said students may be able to do drugs and keep up regular activities 
for a while but the changes will show up. Parents should look for changes 
in attitude and behaviour, giving up things previously enjoyed, like 
sports, having different friends and staying out more. He sees parents as 
an important part of drug education. As the father of three young children, 
he thinks it's never too soon to start educating children.

"How often do you talk to kids about manners? Until they get it. My 
three-year-old knows that proper medicine is what the doctor gives you when 
you are sick and it is only for the person the doctor says should have it, 
it is not good for anyone else. You talk to kids more as they are able to 
understand," he said.

"Take every opportunity for education, including safe use of household 
products. Older children can learn more about the harmful effects of 
smoking, alcohol and drugs and genetic predisposition to addiction. If you 
tell kids the truth, they'll get it. We need to be involved in our kids' 
lives in a positive way."

He said parents should be particularly concerned about what their children 
are doing after school from 3 to 5 p.m.

"We need to provide alternatives with clubs, sports and after-school 
activities. Every principal in the district has a fund to pay part or all 
of the cost of participating in school sports so that finances are no 
barrier to anyone."

He knows prevention education will never cost as much as treatment and 
support for people who can't work because of addictions, not counting the 
loss of human potential.

"We are not getting these people back. We have to get kids to understand 
that when they are taking drugs, they don't know what they are putting into 
their bodies and what the effects will be now and in the future. Make them 
think about if the choices they are making now are going to give them the 
future they want."
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MAP posted-by: Beth