Pubdate: Thu, 02 Feb 2006 Source: Lethbridge Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2006 The Lethbridge Herald Contact: http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/239 Author: Stacy O'brien Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) COMMUNITY GROUPS FORMING TO HELP TACKLE DRUG ISSUES Crystal meth and other drugs are making their way into southern Alberta. Communities are striking at the issue head on with community groups focused on education and prevention. Lethbridge and Taber have had groups that bring community members and service providers together for a while to tackle drugs issues in the community but in other places like Fort Macleod and Claresholm, programs are just getting underway. "I think certainly the emergence of some of these drugs, like crystal meth, different agencies have come to the decision they can't do this alone," says Susan Canning, manager of the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission Lethbridge area office. AADAC has begun offering funding of up to $3,000 per drug coalition per year for a maximum of three years to be used by the coalitions for community meetings, travel to relevant workshops and conferences, training and other things. Canning says there are close to 50 coalitions across the province looking at a variety of different areas including drug prevention, treatment, policing, enforcement and harm reduction. She says coalitions first started springing up in places like Camrose and Drayton Valley, where drugs were rampant and similar groups have started in other communities that want to avoid drugs becoming a problem. Erica Rowntree, the outreach program co-ordinator of Claresholm and District Family and Community Support Services, sees the Claresholm and District Drug Coalition as a way to educate both young people and their parents about drugs and where they can go for help and assistance. "Claresholm is just a great little community and we want to keep it that way," she says. People from the health region, schools, law enforcement and one of the churches are among those on the coalition. Rowntree says she sees it as a circling effect; if there is someone in need, there are more places people can go for help that are all working together. The Fort Macleod Crystal Meth Coalition got started in December. Val Campbell, who co-chairs the coalition and is the executive director of the Foothills Detox Centre, says they put a blurb in the paper during National Addictions Awareness Week in November to see if anyone would be interested in starting a coalition. After they were swamped with phone calls, they decided to move ahead with organizing. "There is a great crystal meth problem in rural southern Alberta. It's everywhere really," says Angela Bourassa, co-chair of the Fort Macleod Crystal Meth Coalition. "Our community is starting to realize we need to work as a community. We need a lot of people and everyone on board to make something happen." In Taber, the Taber Community Against Drugs group got started around two and half years ago after an influx of crack cocaine, says Insp. Graham Abela, with the Taber Police. Abela, who co-chairs the group, says they've pushed education and prevention of crystal methamphetamine. "Something has to be working because we haven't had a case yet," Abela says. ". . . If it hasn't hit our radar screen I'm not saying it's not out there but we think it's a good indicator that it's not prevalent. So if we can help there that's one of the main goals of the group." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman