Pubdate: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 Source: Journal-Pioneer, The (CN PI) Copyright: 2008 Journal-Pioneer Contact: http://www.journalpioneer.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2789 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) FUNDING NEEDS FOLLOWUP FACILITY It's a step in the right direction, but is it really enough? Tuesday, federal Justice Minister and Attorney General Rob Nicholson announced more than $300,000 over three years would be allocated to improve addiction support programs and services for youth in conflict with the law. The funding will be go to the Community and Correctional Services division of the Office of the Attorney General and used to implement the P.E.I. Youth Substance Use and Addiction Strategy. Referral and assessment procedures, as well as post-treatment relapse prevention programs, will be developed for the addicted who are in trouble with the law. Although the move should be applauded it comes up far too short on what's actually needed and what those working with drug-addicted youth have been begging for. By the time they are committing break, enter and thefts to feed their addiction, it's obvious the addiction is already out of hand. Nicholson said his government "is working to reduce the damaging effects of illicit drugs on our youth and on our communities," when he made the announcement at the Summerside Youth Centre, the place drug-addicted youth serve out their sentences. But, if government is so committed to reducing the effect on the community and on affected youth, why are they waiting until after the fact, after people have victimized and damaged property, to work with these youth? Work needs to be done to address the issue at the earliest possible stage. Education must be improved and started earlier to teach youngsters the devastating impact of drug use. And more drug-treatment services, specifically a youth addiction treatment centre, something proposed by the previous Tory government, must be erected. You can put all the dollars and cents into studying the problem and offering support programs for addicted youth but without a place for them to go to get proper treatment, close to family support, the $300,000 investment by the federal government will do very little to fix the problem. Let's hope the Province follows the federal government's lead and finally commits to such a facility and not just a Band-Aid solution to a problem that's not going away. - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath