Pubdate: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 Source: Calgary Herald (Canada) Contact: http://www.calgaryherald.com/ Author: Johnnie Bachushy BOOZE TARGETED ALONG WITH DRUGS, SAYS BURGENER Alberta will work just as hard to combat alcohol abuse among young people as drug use, says the chairwoman of the agency leading the battle. "We certainly recognize that alcohol is a major, major issue for our young people," said Jocelyn Burgener, chairwoman of the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission and MLA for Calgary Currie. "It is just as destructive as drugs as it robs them of their opportunities to use their education and self-esteem." The top anti-drug executive of the United Nations told reporters covering a Banff youth forum on drug abuse last week-end that cocaine and heroin abuse, on a global scale, must be given higher priority than alcohol. "Alcohol is not as dangerous as heroin addiction, of course,. We have to select priorities. Of course people will die, but the number who consume alcohol and the number of people who die is not as (many)," said Pino Arlacchi, undersecretary-general of the UN and executive director of the United Nations International Drug Control Program. "They are all drugs, but if you want to be realistic, if we want to be successful, we have to tackle problems according to a scale of priorities," he said. "My organization is an organization that fights drugs as defined by international conventions. It doesn廠 mean we are soft on alcohol and other intoxicants. It simply means our priority is heroin, cocaine, and the most dangerous of drugs." Arlacchi, who attended and delivered a closing address to more than 250 delegates at the four-day United Nations forum, said UNDCP's mandate is the control and distribution of drugs, while alcohol abuse and "less dangerous intoxicants" are issues that are handled by WHO (World Health Organization). However, he added, messages and strategies developed at UN sponsored meetings such as last weekend's forum in Banff, can be used to combat alcohol abuse. One youth delegate, Amy Duncan, of Prince Edward Island, said that while the world廣 drug problem may be greater in general, alcoholism among young people in specific places such as in Canada廣 Maritime provinces, is more widespread. "In specific places, like P.E.I, we don廠 have cocaine and heroin," said Duncan. "If we do, there is not a lot of it. I think the focus there would be different than probably where cocaine is the major drug." Burgener told the conference that alcoholism among this province's young people was of equal concern for the Alberta government. "Rather than compete, let廣 use strategies that are appropriate," she added.