In the conclusion of our two-parter, Sam Cooper talked with parents and authorities on what's available for treatment for drug addicts - and the lack of viable options Talking to parents of crystal meth addicts, two common themes jump out. A child hooked on meth will mess up the whole family. And just getting an addicted family member into treatment, let alone getting them to stay in treatment, is a nightmare. It comes down to a sickening dilemma that burns Kerry Jackson. The White Rock woman's son, Ryan Jackson, committed suicide after checking himself out of treatment in St. Paul's hospital, just 10 months after getting hooked hard on meth. [continues 916 words]
White Rock hosts its first ever forum on crystal meth next week. The forum will be moderated by Mayor Judy Forster, who enlisted the main speaker, Kerry Jackson, a White Rock women who lost her only son to meth. After a rapid fall into meth addiction and related psychosis, Jackson's son killed himself. Forster said Jackson was a natural choice to speak at the forum, with an inspirational and informative story emerging from her tragedy. "She lost her only child to crystal meth and a lot of people would have let it defeat them," Forster said. [continues 283 words]
Heads up potheads. Cannabis use may lead to psychosis. At an SFU forum on cannabis, mental health and addiction, Professor David Ferguson from the University of Otago, New Zealand, told his audience pot is definitely not a harmless drug. Based on an ongoing 25-year study of 1,200 youth, Ferguson found daily cannabis users reported various symptoms of psychosis about 1.5 times more than non-users. But this small increase of symptoms in individuals will boost the rate of psychosis in society by about 10 per cent, he said. [continues 110 words]
Dunbar residents are telling city councillors not to even think about putting supportive housing for drug addicts in their community. Following the city's purchase of land at Dunbar and 16th for $3.3 million this year, Vancouver housing planner, Rob Whitlock, told members of the Dunbar Resident's Association (DRA) "chances are very good" the site could be used to house and treat low income people with drug addictions or mental illnesses. Whitlock said he made the comment because council asked his department to look at spreading drug treatment services throughout the city, instead of only concentrating them in the Downtown Eastside. [continues 233 words]
Criminalizing drugs is only good for the criminals, an international drug symposium panel said. Anti-prohibition experts at SFU's Wosk Centre for Dialogue said a health and regulation system must replace the punitive war on drugs approach in North America. "You just have to walk through the Downtown Eastside to see the horrible price of prohibition," UBC professor Richard Mathias said. Seattle lawyer Roger Goodman said fines, education and treatment options, should replace criminalization completely. "We can insist on abstinence for many or most, but we need to treat the hard-core and bring addicts indoors for treatment." [continues 210 words]
When people say they've heard enough about crystal meth, Maple Ridge's Gord Robson gets angry. "People who say this is like other drugs don't know what they are talking about," Robson said at a B.C. Crime Prevention Symposium Saturday. After realizing the problems caused by meth, community agencies connected to form a meth task force in July 2004, focusing on education, enforcement and treatment. Robson warned that waiting for government to tackle meth would doom B.C. neighbourhoods. [continues 127 words]
Shock waves hit a local parent when a Grade 3 student told her crystal meth is visibly present on a Salmon Arm school bus. The woman, who called Salmon Arm Secondary School and the RCMP to inform them, asked to remain nameless for fear of retribution against her son. The child is nine years old and she asked me 'What is crystal meth?' because some older students had it on the bus," said the woman, who speaks regularly with students in her car pool. It's common knowledge among the Grade 11's that crystal meth is circulating at school and on the bus." [continues 674 words]
