Pubdate: Wed, 08 Apr 2009
Source: Beacon Herald, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2009 Osprey Media Group Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/ytFEC49J
Website: http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1459
Author: Paul Cluff

PEERS WARN OF DRUG'S DANGERS

A documentary shown Tuesday allowed students at Central Secondary 
School to see the devastating effects of hard drugs from recovering 
addicts in their own community.

"Effective Fight For Eliminating Drugs" discussed life experiences of 
men and women who slid easily into the drug culture but continue to 
battle to stay out of it.

Melissa Schenk, executive producer of MS2 Productions, is presenting 
the educational documentary to students in Perth and Huron counties 
as part of the Perth County Task Force on Crystal Meth's drug 
prevention initiative.

Subjects of the documentary "courageously shared their stories," Ms. 
Schenk said.

Cherie talked about losing 90 pounds after getting hooked on meth and 
how narcotics controlled her life.

She started using pot and ecstasy as a teenager and gradually got 
into heavier drugs like meth and crack cocaine.

Michelle talked about failing a drug test and losing her children, 
while Michelle's mother cried as she described losing her daughter to 
drug addiction.

"I gave my children up for meth," Michelle said.

Depression problems surfaced early in life for Derek, who replaced 
cutting himself with drug use that nearly killed him.

Eventually, drugs were not fun anymore, he said.

He lost friends and family.

Derek said there are two sides to Stratford: the beautiful one that 
most people see and the reality of what drug addicts see each day.

The documentary featured local teens discussing how boring their 
communities can be.

"It's easy to get drugs," said a county teenager. "You walk down the 
street and see 10 dealers."

In the documentary, Ellen Balmain, executive director of the United 
Way of Perth County, said her agency asked youth for the three most 
pressing problems in their lives.

Drugs was number one, she said.

The documentary featured interviews with police officers and 
counsellors who work in prevention, enforcement and treatment.

"It's a community problem," said Dr. John Duncan, a professor 
offering expertise from the University of Oklahoma.

Jim, the eldest of the recovering addicts, described being high on 
crack cocaine as the "best feeling in the world," a feeling that 
every addict chases after.

Now clean, Jim has turned his attention to mastering welding skills 
with the help of a local school program. His regrets include losing 
his daughter -- a drug addict like her father -- when she was 21.

"I went through years and years of grief. They suck the life right 
out of you. I wish I never touched drugs," said Jim.

Ms. Schenk said documentary participants shared their stories so 
students can make educated decisions in the future.

Students told her they have heard of many of the drugs circulating in 
their community, however, they were unaware that marijuana can 
sometimes be laced with meth.

Few were aware of the task force, but most admitted they know of meth 
and other drugs.

"Getting into drugs is the easiest thing, getting out is the 
hardest," Cherie said in a telling portion of the documentary. 
"You're lucky if you can (get out)."

You walk down the street and you see 10 dealers."
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart