An RCMP initiative targeting the trafficking of controlled substances in communities throughout the Bow Valley corridor called Project Krossbow, was a success according to police. The project was a large and detailed investigation than ran from Nov. 2007 to April 2008, involving street-level and mid-level drug transactions. Undercover purchases were conducted at various locations including businesses, residences and on the streets. The joint effort to combat the drug trafficking issue in the corridor involved RCMP detachments and general investigation sections in Banff, Canmore, Cochrane as well as the Calgary Police Service and RCMP Drug Enforcement members. [continues 132 words]
"Rape Drugs" A Jasper Bar Scene Threat They can be tasteless, odourless and colourless, but so-called rape drugs are all too common ingredients in Jasper bars. Just ask Lorraine, a 22-year-old Winnipeg woman who is working in town for the summer. She was drugged about a month ago and spoke to the Jasper Booster under the condition of anonymity. Lorraine said what started off as a good time out with some friends turned into a living nightmare when a stranger spiked her drink at a local night spot. [continues 596 words]
Sexual Predators Are Everywhere, Even In Jasper. HIV West Yellowhead said reports of drug assisted assaults are on the low this year, but so-called "date rape" drugs are very much a threat in the community. And because most victims fail to report the crime out of shame or fear of tainting their reputations in a small town, there are no conclusive figures to determine just how prevalent drug assisted assaults are in Jasper. What is clear, however, is that no person, regardless of gender or age, can be 100 per cent protected. [continues 313 words]
In Alberta in the year 2005, 25 percent of youths in Grades 7 through 12 reported using illicit drugs, and that is excluding marijuana. Illegal drug use is a problem that has run rampant in many Canadian communities over the years. Yellowhead is no different. Many of us have seen the negative effects of illegal drug use on our young people. I have raised this issue multiple times in Ottawa, bringing forward legislation to increase drug related penalties. The Conservative government campaigned to address this issue and we are following through on our commitments. [continues 364 words]
Poverty, environmental issues, and Canada's role in the conflict in Afghanistan -- wondering what these all have in common? Well, according to some, they are problems that could be alleviated to some extent if the western world would stop being so paranoid about sending the wrong message in certain cases when it comes to illegal drugs. Drugs, drugs, drugs...used unwisely, every drug from cough medicine to prescription drugs to illegal narcotics is potentially dangerous, but what possible medical cures or solutions to world issues are being missed by demonizing some substances? [continues 611 words]
Jasper Booster -- I am already anticipating the rebuttal...if people just didn't do drugs then we wouldn't have to be concerned about keeping Insite open. If life were that simple there wouldn't be an addict population estimated to be about 5,000 and some of the highest HIV and Hepatitis-C infection rates in the world in the downtown eastside of Vancouver. This area is Vancouver's poorest neighborhood and is considered to be Canada's drug capital. Located in this undesirable area is Insite, North Americas' first and only safe injection facility. The B.C. government contributed the funds required to establish Insite and operational funding is provided through Vancouver Coastal Health (total costs for the past three years are equivalent to treating about 12 new HIV infections). [continues 542 words]
Jasper Booster -- In response to a recent editorial (June 14th Booster), 'Working together to combat drug use' and your suggestion that "a local committee or local community action group with a specific focus on drugs could do considerable good here." In Jasper, human services agencies decided a number of years ago to form the Jasper Community Team, which is built around the big picture. Due to the intensive, demanding and complex nature of partnership work, it makes sense to build the collaboration around the big picture, and to create an ongoing and stable network. With such a structure in place, the community can respond to any project, initiative or challenge for instance, mobilizing around an emerging issue such as drug use as it arises. [continues 80 words]
Re: Jasperites 'get the dope on dope' (June 14th Booster) Perhaps Yellowhead MP Rob Merrifield can clear up the definition of just what a "serious drug crime" might be. Would a "serious drug crime" be establishing a drug policy that puts control of the "drug" market into criminal hands? Or would a "serious drug crime" be subsidizing a violent drug market that causes robbery and assault? Since there was no such thing as "drug crime" (ie robbery, burglary, assault, rape etc) connected with drug use when drugs were legal, would a "serious drug crime" be establishing a drug policy that increases crime in every category? Since there were virtually zero "drug deaths" before drug prohibition, would a "serious drug crime" be establishing a system that kills thousands every year? Redford Givens San Francisco [end]
Jasper Booster -- Quite recently Booster readers may have read a piece entitled 'Drug trends scary' in this space. Because we believe the effect of drugs in this community is an important issue, this week's editorial deals with a similar theme. But this time the focus is more on the solutions and not so much on the symptoms. It's clear this is an issue that is causing ever increasing concern locally, but the good news about that is the more people who aware of the problems and worried about them, the better equipped we'll be to deal with them as time goes on. [continues 418 words]
Jasper Booster -- From the local MP to a large group of Jasperites, the issue of drug use in the community was on the minds of many last week. Yellowhead MP Rob Merrifield introduced a private member's bill in the House of Commons that would require mandatory minimum sentences for criminals convicted of a serious drug crime. In a press release, Merrifield said that Canadians are sick and tired of drugs destroying communities and criminals getting off the hook. Locally, the drug issue took centre stage for a number of residents with workshops involving healthcare, emergency services and social services staff in Jasper. [continues 620 words]
There really is only one word to describe the trends Jasper is seeing when it comes to drug used and that word is scary. For years this, and other tourist destinations popular with young people, have been associated with the use of marijuana. While police would likely tell you that it's certainly a drug they would like to see less of around here, it's slowly and surely becoming a secondary concern for parents worried about what their kids might be getting involved with. [continues 264 words]
Re: Harm Reduction: Helping Addicts Feel Human, March 8 Page 13 Regarding Patrick Mooney's March 8 op-ed, the need for harm reduction alternatives to the drug war is best exemplified by the tragic experience of Canada's southern neighbor. United States Centers for Disease Control researchers estimate that 57 percent of AIDS cases among women and 36 percent of overall AIDS cases in the U.S. are linked to injection drug use or sex with partners who inject drugs. This easily preventable public health crisis is a direct result of zero tolerance laws that restrict access to clean syringes. Canada cannot afford to emulate the harm maximization policies of the former land of the free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated. Sincerely, - -Robert Sharpe Common Sense for Drug Policy www.csdp.org [end]
In a drug-user context harm reduction can be explained by this definition, one of many to be found; "It is any program or policy designed to reduce drug-related harm without requiring the cessation of drug use." Further to this, and found on a web page out of the UK, another author states that "it does not focus on abstinence: although harm reduction supports those who seek to moderate or reduce their drug use, it neither excludes nor presumes a treatment goal of abstinence. [continues 653 words]
Most of us students find that the reason most kids start doing drugs is because of the lack of entertainment. There is nothing to do. Before, there used to be a bowling alley, pool hall, and just places to hang out in a safe environment. We think that there should be a bowling alley or something to do. Jasper is an awesome place to live, but there is nothing to do. So I hope that the council would think of something for us kids to do. I think that this would help our town with our drug problems. - - Fawn Furlotte Jasper [end]
The staff at Jasper Jr./Sr. High School is exploring measures to deal with concerns of drugs on school grounds and they're looking to the RCMP for help. In a recent high school newsletter, the school discussed the potential for searching lockers periodically using a police dog, but the possibility of this measure is still being discussed. Cpl. Leon Fiedler and his German Shepherd police dog Jake from Stoney Plain made a presentation to high school students and Jasper Elementary School Grade 6 students on Feb. 16. After the presentation, Fielder and local RCMP discussed with a staff member a number of solutions besides dog searches that could help control the presence of drugs within the school. [continues 298 words]
Another class of Grade 6 students is near the end of a learning process highlighting the consequences of drug, alcohol and tobacco use. The DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is used in the Jasper Elementary School each year and has been run the past five years by Const. Stephanie Lutes of the Jasper RCMP. She visits the school for 10 one-hour class sessions to talk to students about issues like drug and alcohol abuse and the dangers of smoking. She also relates those issues to social factors like peer pressure, self-esteem, media influences, smart and informed choices, and ways to handle the pressures. [continues 266 words]
Parents and youth in Jasper got their chance to hear about trends in drug use in the area and the dangers posed by substances like crystal meth at a special forum on Nov. 21. The meeting was hosted by the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) and came less than a week after local AADAC representative Tasha Symon made a presentation to municipal council urging the town to help lead the community in the battle against rising drug use. Although there are a number of drugs the community should be concerned about, a special focus is being put on crystal meth, the use of which has been increasing in Jasper, according to Symon. [continues 608 words]
Drug use is on the rise in Jasper and, though many don't want to believe it, those who deal with the issue on a day to day basis think it's time for the community to face the music. The RCMP, Community Outreach Services (COS) workers and those involved in the local judiciary system all agree they're seeing more drug use problems in town most specifically concerning crystal meth. COS outreach worker Paul Schmidt said he is definitely hearing of and seeing a larger presence of harder core drugs in the community including meth. [continues 607 words]
Jasper Booster -- Politicians at three different levels of government launched assaults last week in the war against a drug that has plagued the Yellowhead region for years. Legislation was tabled at both the provincial and federal levels that looks to restrict the distribution of chemicals used to produce crystal methamphetamine. "Meth has been a real and visible problem in communities in our riding for some time. Its effects have been devastating," said Yellowhead MP Rob Merrifield, who introduced Bill C-349 in Ottawa on March 21. [continues 522 words]
Jasper Booster -- The March 9 Jay Walking column was right on target. Hazardous marijuana grow operations are a direct result of marijuana prohibition. Legitimate farmers do not steal electricity to grow produce in the basements of rented homes. If legal, growing marijuana would be less profitable then farming tomatoes. As it stands, the drug war distorts market forces such that an easily grown weed is literally worth its weight in gold. Rather than continue to subsidize organized crime, Canadian policymakers should ignore the reefer madness hysteria of the U.S. government and instead to look their own Senate for guidance. In the words of Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, "Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue." - - Robert Sharpe, MPA Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, DC [end]
