Web exclusive audio:
The CBC's Nancy Russell talks to lawyer Trish Cheverie about her experience as a public defender of young people accused in drug crimes. (runs 10:08)
Teachers, police, justice officials and parents: They're all on the front line when it comes to doing something about illegal drug use by teenagers, and many of them are surprised by how quickly it's becoming a major problem on P.E.I.
"If someone had told me 10 years ago that we were going to have this problem with cocaine and serious narcotics that we have, I don't think I would have believed it," Trish Cheverie says. As a legal-aid lawyer, she sees many of the young people in the Summerside area who find themselves caught up in the justice system for possession or trafficking of drugs.
From Nov. 19, 2007:
Police on P.E.I. have a new problem, a hallucinogenic herb which is still legal. (runs 2:13)
"I thought we'd always be a culture of drinkers and pot smokers."
Justice officials are beginning to take the drug problem seriously, assigning seven more officers to the drug beat in the last year. That's led to a big increase in drug busts. There were 140 seizures in all of 2006. In 2007, police recorded that many by August. But still, police acknowledge it's easy for young people to lay their hands on drugs.
"I think a lot of people, if they could follow me around for a day, would be shocked to see what I see: how serious the drug issue is on P.E.I. now," Cheverie says.
From Nov. 22, 2007:
For P.E.I.'s teachers, dealing with teenage drug abuse is a daily battle. (runs 10:33)
From Nov. 20, 2007:
Nancy Russell reports on the Department of Education's new curriculum on drug awareness for junior high school students.
(runs 5:09)
School officials are seeing the problem, too, and perhaps what's frightening them more is what they're not seeing. When students were getting drunk or high on marijuana, they knew how to spot it. Now, the signs of student substance abuse can be more difficult to detect.
Extra police officers have been hired to fight drugs on P.E.I. and it is resulting in more arrests and charges.
From Nov. 15, 2007:
Nancy Russell found out the flow of product continues. (runs 5:48)
"With some of these drugs that are out there right now, we don't even know what to look for," says Rory Herget, the guidance counsellor at Westisle High School in central P.E.I.
Percocet, dilaudids, Ritalin and other prescription drugs are all available. School officials worry that sometimes teenagers don't even know what they're taking. And it's not just in high schools. Addictions counsellors in junior high schools are carrying full case loads, and teachers in intermediate schools are on the lookout for students who are high in class.
"It is an issue that we would deal with, not necessarily on a daily basis, but on a weekly basis," says Kevin Stonefield, principal at Montague Intermediate in eastern P.E.I.
Joe Gallant was the star basketball player all the high school kids in Souris looked up to. Now, the 19-year-old is trying to kick his addiction.
From Nov. 14, 2007:
Nancy Russell met with Joe recently in New Brunswick where he's attending a drug treatment program. (runs 5:46)
For years Joe Gallant, who grew up in Souris, was able to hide his addiction. He was a high school basketball star, and he abused alcohol and marijuana with his teammates. He started drinking when he was in Grade 9. His life took a significant turn for the worst when he was introduced to cocaine after graduating.
"It was amazing how fast it took over me. I'd spend my whole paycheque in one night," Gallant says.
For a long time, Gallant was able to hide his addiction, but his lying and stealing eventually caught up with him. After a day in the woods alone, high on cocaine, Gallant finally admitted his addiction to himself and his mother.
For months now Gallant has been at an addictions treatment centre in New Brunswick — because there is no facility for youth on P.E.I. — getting his life back together.
Web exclusive audio:
Bev Semple of Summerside describes her experience of trying to get her son away from drugs.
(runs 10:21)
From Nov. 19, 2007:
Nancy Russell visits a group of parents with something in common, a child hooked on drugs.
(runs 7:08)
The toll of youth drug addiction on families can be as bad as it is on the youth. In Summerside, a parents group meets weekly to offer support to each other. Some of them have had their child's funeral planned for years. They desperately hope to get their kids away from drugs, while at the same time dreading the phone call that tells them their child's luck has run out, and the addiction has claimed their life.
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- Nov. 20, 2007: New addictions centre dominates forum discussion
- Oct. 10, 2007: P.E.I. welcomes federal addiction help
- July 15, 2007: Trafficker sentenced to 6½ years
- July 5, 2007: 6 arrested in drug bust on P.E.I.
External Links
- Canadian Centre On Substance AbuseStudent/Adolescent alcohol & drug use statistics
- Government of P.E.I.Adolescent Addictions Program
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