Pubdate: Sun, 08 May 2005 Source: Meadow Lake Progress (CN SN) Copyright: 2005 Meadow Lake Progress Contact: http://www.meadowlakeprogress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2156 HELP PARENTS HELP THEIR ADDICTED KIDS April 2004 in Nipawin, Gary Walter was attacked on the street by 18-year-old Wesley Harker. Harker knocked Walter to the ground and then repeatedly punched and kicked his face and head. He died on the street less than a block from his home. The young man who killed Walter said it sometimes seems like a bad dream. He was quoted as saying he sometimes wakes up and thinks he's in bed at his mother's house. Then he looks around, and sees the bars of the prison cell. Harker killed Walter because he was there. He is a drug addict who was high on cocaine and crystal meth at the time of the attack. His addiction to crystal meth had been building over time. When Harker became desperate for the drug, he would scream, punch holes in his walls and light his mattress on fire. His parents, Bob and Doreen Harrison, fought to get their teenage son help. They brought him to a detox centre in Regina and Calder Centre in Saskatoon. But social workers at both centers immediately informed Harker that he was under no obligation to stay. Three days later, Harker walked out. His parents watched as he lost weight. His teeth started falling out, and red blister-like sores appeared all over his body. He started stealing things. Then, in April 2004, when Harker was high, he stomped Gary Walter to death. Doreen said if she had been given authority over her son, this wouldn't have happened. The reason the social workers informed Harker of his rights is because they are legally obliged to. There was a time in Canada when the parental prerogative led to terrible violations of children's rights. Teenagers could be incarcerated in mental asylums because they were promiscuous, had had a baby out of wedlock, or because they were in somebody's way. So the laws were changed. Attitudes changed, too. Much of the dialogue surrounding addictions focuses on the addict's sense of responsibility, and investment in his or her own life. Many recovering addicts talk about a moment when they knew the drinking had to stop. And that's what therapists hope for. But a teenager's brain chemistry is volatile to begin with. Their brains are not finished developing, and they are much more vulnerable to addiction. And a kid like Harker should have been helped, despite himself. Parents must have some leverage. They have to be able to get help for their child. Sometimes that will mean re-hab before that moment of realisation: I need help. The Saskatchewan Party has been pushing for a law that would allow parents to force their children into drug treatment. The government says it's looking at the idea. The legislation can be written to balance the individual's right to his or her personal pursuits, with the collective's right to walk down the streets unassailed. Had the laws existed in 2004, Walter would be alive, and Harker would not be dreaming of his mother's house from inside a penitentiary. We say: look into it, and fast. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth