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14 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, February 27, 1990 Anti drug campaign needs community support By Kelly Brorry Recently the Ontario Govern- ment announced a community based drug stategy to deal with the issue of illegal drug use. The strategy aims to reduce the problem where it originates and where it can best be han- dled; in the community. What the Grants am is doing is providing funding for innovative community based projects Which are desi, iy reduce the illegal use o . The term "illegal use" refers to any illegal drug including the use of tobacco and alcohol by under-age persons. The program is funded by the Provincial Anti-Drug Secrea- tariat, which has allocated $3 million to be distributed to pro- jects through to March 31, 1992, only. SE at i tratog! i The goals of the Provincial Anti-Drug Strategy are to pro- mote a drug-free lifestyle, pre- vent the use, and reduce the im- pact of illegal drugs. The objectives of the Grants Program are to meet the above goals by strengthening the com- munities capacity to address the local problem and to help the community to develop unique solutions in their ap- proach tothe drug problem. Projects taken on by a com- munity should emphasize the prevention of drug use, and may include a broad range of prevention stategies. Preference will be given to projects which demonstrate a strong commitment to commu- nity partnership, and innova- tion, but programs previously proven successful will also be considered. Projects must clearly be identified communi- ty need The program will not fund ex- isting agencies, operating ex- penses, on-going projects, those aimed at the direct treatment or rehabilitation of drug users, or those that deal directly with the law enforcement aspect of theillegal use of drugs. The amo depend on the project, but will not exceed $50,000 a year. The serious problem of drug use in Ontario is shown through statistics compiled by the Addiction Research Foun- dation. Statistics for 1989 show that students in Grades seven through 13, over 66 percent have used alcohol in the last year, and the percentage in- creases as they get older. Over 23% have used tobacco. Statistics also show that over 14 percent have used cannabis, almost 6% LSD, 2.7% cocaine, and one percent used crack. On- tario University students, showed 30% used cannabis, 4.5 cocaine, and 0.3 crack. Over two percent used LSD, and 7.4 use hallucinogens. Both groups percentage of steroid use was around 1 per cent. About 1700, or 0.2 per cent of these high school aged students share needles, and are at a con- siderable risk of HIV infection. ER SR The drug problem is not con- nected to the younger genera- tion alone. Adults were sur- veyed and showed 9.5 per cent used cannabis in the last year, and 20 per cent aged 18-29 used itin the last year. Over six per- cent used cocaine, and 0.7 crack. In a statement to the legisla- ture by Ken Black, the minister responsible for the Anti-Drug stategy, he described the use of drugs in this province as a seri- ousone. "One that defies easy an- swers or quick solutions, and one that cannot be solved in the short term, or by the govern- ment alone" he was quoted as saying. He stated it affects all ages, income brackets and neighbor- hoods, and that everyone in On- tario has a vital role to play if there is to be any impact and change of behavior in the Onta- riosociety. The three elements intro- duced in the strategy are the introduction of education and prevention programs, a wider range of treatment programs, and an expansion of Ontario's drug enforcement capacity. Over the next two years the government will spend 9.2 mil- lion to work with communities to reduce the illegal use of drugs. It will provide assis- tance with planning, operating, and evaluating of local solu- tions, providing grants to help organize and carry out commu- nity prevention and promotion projects, and provide training and technical support. In the beginning, the govern- ment will join several designat- ed "vulnerable to negative as- pects of drugs" communities. These focus communities will be selected as pilot test pro- jects, to work in collaboration with the government to reduce the incidence and impact of drug abuse in the local front. Mr. Black also stated in order to keep streets and schools safe we must continue to ensure sound and effective law en- forcement practises. The suc- cess of the strategy is depen- dant on time, public awareness and the concentrated efforts of every person in Ontario. The community action will discourage the use of tobacco, alcohol, illegal inhalents, and the misuse of prescription drugs by showing their bad con- sequences through information campaigns and community awareness events, workshops, and displays. The campaigns will be particularly focused at young adults, adolescents, and children. - It became mandatory in the 1989 school year for drug edu- cation for students in Grades 4- 10. In grades 4-6, tobacco is the main emphasis, and alcohol, and other drugsin 7-10. The School board will also be responsible for offering drug education to students in grades 1-3. The emphasis being on helping students to develop an understanding of healthy prac- tises and healthy living. A The OPP have assigned 139 officers to community rela- tions, who all provide drug edu- cation in the schools. Last year these officers took the program to 650 schools in Ontario, and are anticipating reaching 29,000 students by the end of this academic year. Thiry-two officers and four civilian sup- port staff have been added to the OPP support staff, accord- ing to Steven Offer, and he feels this will enhance the ability to stop the stem of illicit drug flow into our Province; and contrib- ute greatly to the governments anti-drug stategy, as well as maintaining Ontario as a safe and secure place tolive. Sean Conway, minister of ed- ucation stated in his speech to the legislature that the schools of Ontario have a crucial role to playin the anti-drug strategy. "The Ministry of Education will continue to work with its partners in education to ensure that our young people approach the issue of drug abuse with a sense of personal and social re- sponsibility," he said. Although drug and sub- stance abuse isn't a new prob- lem, some of the current trends are alarming. Although the overall amount of drug use has been declining slowly in recent years, there has been an appar- ent increase in the use of highly addictive drugs such as cocaine and crack. Drug abuse has moved into the mainstream of our society. It can affect any child, parent, friend, relative, or co-worker. It is estimated that one in four Ontarians has a personal acquaintance or family mem- od with an illegal drug prob- em. On a societal scale we all pay the price, for the impacts of drug abuse. In 1986-87, it cost the citi- zens of Ontario between $9 and $10 billion for the added law en- forcement costs, additional health care, loss of time from work and loss of productivity, all as a result of drug addiction and the abuse of substances such as alcohol and prescrip- tion drugs. "There is much work to be done, by working ther with the leadership of this govern- ment, we can make significant progress. This strategy repre- sents the first stage, a new be- ginning that builds on our ex- isting programs to protect the future of all Ontarians," Mr. Black said. : The deadline for the first se- ries of applications for the Grants Program was February 1, but there is a second series of funding and the deadline for those applications will be May 31. Any organization or indi- vidual requesting more infor- mation is to contact the Provin- cial Anti Drug Secreatariat at '324-7279. ( [ GIGANTIC PRE-INVENTORY PRE-EASTER ; 0Y Off Chocolates - Candy Sale Ends March 3rd, 1990 182 Queen St., Port Perry Open 7 Days - 9to 10 N STOREWIDE Giftware 985-0761 Don't waste this space. Small ads pay! VALMED HEALTH SERVICES INC. Foot Care Services in Your Home (416) 433-1494 Country Style Dowute announces its NEW . Please place order One hour in advance of delivery time required. No deliveries after 7 PM In Town deliveries only. 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