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GODERICH, SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1987—PAGE lA
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BY
WILLIAM •
THOMAS
Seminar on drug awareness and prevention attracts 150 people
By LOU -ANN HOPE
"Sixty-five per cent of all kids have fac-
ed a drug problem by the time they are in
Grade 6. They, may not have taken drugs
but they have been offered some."
' So began Robert Plamondon's discus-
sion on drug education and awareness at
St. Mary's Separate School last Tuesday
night.
The Goderich Lioness Club sponsored
the seminar which featured guest
speakers Plamondon, chairman of the
Drug Awareness Program of District A-9
International Association of Lions Clubs,
and Constable Dave Benn of the Mount
Forest Detachment of the OPP.
About 150 people, many of them children
between the ages of 10 and 16, attended the
seminar to learn about drugs, the pro-
blems associated with drug-takingand
what they could do to Combat drugs in the
community.
"Different communities have different
problems, whether it be alcohol or drugs.
Each community has its own particular
situation," Plamondon said.
"Yciu can't sit, here and say honestly that
it's something not happening in Goderich.
I don't know what your (drug) problem is
but you, the people of Goderich, know the
town's drug problem. You know who takes
drugs. You know, who deals drugs and you
know what drugs are available," . Benn
said.
Drug use on the rise '
Drugs are`e5verywhere and the problem
is continually getting worse.
The use of drugs its on the rise in com-
munities throughout Ontario. According
to Benn, in 1963 only 59 cases regarding
drugs were prosecuted in Ontario. This
figure rose to 15,000 in 1983. Recently; a.
drug seizure was made near Arthur which
netted a substantial amount of "crack", a
Cocaine by-product.
Illegal drug' trade in . Canada Accounts
1 for $5 billion per year; Plarnondori said, ad-
ding that $16 billion is spent each year on
alcohol.
"The abuse of drugs and alcohol is the'
Most 'serious social problem that faces us
today; from the devastating effects it has
on the individual users to the untold grief it
has "within families, .to the academic
decline and increased absenteeism in
school, and to the decreased productivity
in the workplace," Plamondon said.
Types of drugs
Drugs come in a variety of shapes, col-
ors, forms and doses, said Benn as he
began his discussion of types of drugs.
Most often people think of drugs as being
such things as marijuana, LSD, heroin, co-
caine and crack, Benn said. Rarely do
they realize that coffee, tea,..tobacco, lax-
atives, vitamins and food' additives are
drugs also. Each drug has its own distinct
properties with its own effects.
There are three major groups of mood -
altering drugs: stimulants, depressants
and hallucinogens.
Stimulants
Drugs that are classified as stimulants are
those which speed up the mental pro-
cesses, making the person feel more alert.
They give the person a "lift" or a "high",
The cycle of
life in an
Italian kitchen
Connie Huber and Sherry Good examine a display of drugs and
drug, paraphernalia at St. Mary's scbool'during a drug awareness
seminar sponsored by the Goderich Lioness Club. Along with the
Benn explained., Included in this category
are such drugs as amphetamines; cocaine,
and caffeine.
"Cocaine,: often called "snow" because
of its white crystal -like appearance, is a
popular but expensive addition -forming
drug," explained Benn. Plamondon added
that it can be injected or inhaled. Effects
of cocaine range from the sensation of
something crawling under the skin to
bizarre, erratic and sometimes violent
behaviour, and convulsions. Long-term ef-
fects include strong psychological ,
dependence, destruction cif nose tissues
and increased susceptibility to infections.
A cheaper form of cocaine is "crack", a
product with a cocaine mixture, Benn said.
He said it is a drug,with instant effects and
instant addiction. It's been described as
"blowing the top of your head off", Benn
told the audience.
Depressants
Drugs that are classed as depressants
are those which make .the person relaxed
" and less conscious of surrounding events.
display were guest speakers, slide shows and printed information.
(photo by Lou -Ann Hope)
Alcohol, sleeping pills, tranquillizers, pain
killers, and narcotics such as heroin and
mor-phine have these effects.
" Alcohol ''is -the --most abusive drug
although it is not always thought of as a
drugIt is the most abused drug today in
many countries.,One on ten drinkers
develops problembeca hse of this drug,"
Plamondon said.
Heroin and morphine are opiate pro-
ducts which orginate from the opium pop-
py plant.
Benn described pure heroin as tasting
bitter but having no odour. The federal
Narcotics Act permits hospitals, physi-
cians, pharmacies and vetrenarians to
• possess opiates for. patient use although
heroin cannot be imported into Canada,
even for medical reasons.
Effects of abused opiates include a feel-
ing of euphoria, relief from pain; nausea,
convulsions, comas and frequent infec-
tions, Benn said.
Hallucinogens
Hallucinogens are sometimes called
About 150 people, many of them teenagers, attended a drug
awareness and prefention seminar sponsored by ''the Goderich
Lioness Club last Tuesday night at St. Mary's school. In the above
left photo, Bryan Piekell gathers some printed information
available at the meeting. Guest speakers were, above right,
Robert
Plamondon, chairman of the Drug Awareness Program of
District A-9 International Association of Lions Clubs, and, below
right, Constable Dave Henn of the Mount Forest Detachtnent of the
OPP.. ( photos by Lou -Ann Hope)
"mind -altering" or psychedelic drugs
because they mainly change the kinds of
sensations a person has. Included in this '
category are marijuana, hashish, LSD, -
mescaline and PCP.
Marijuana and hashish come from the
cannibis plant. Cannibis prepartions vary
widely in potency with marijuana in
general being the least potent and hash oil
the most potent.
"Marijuana is a widely -used recreation
drug . among young people. It was
previously thought to be free from harmful
side effects although .it is anything but,"
Plamondon said.
Effects of hallucinogenic abuse include
euphoria, impairment of short term
memory, increase in rate of breathing,
sharpening or distortion of perceptions of
sound, color and the ability to think, and
hallucinations. Long-term effects include
flashbacks, loss of drive and interest in
su,,,stained activity, •possible decrease of
immunity against infections and impair-
ment of learning ability.
Solvents
"Solvents are a cheap high. They are in- •
toxicating with highly toxic fumes,"
Plamondon said.
Solvents include such things as gasoline;
cleaning fluids, nail polish remover and
glue. The user inhales the fumes, often by
holding a bag or cloth containing a solvent
over the face.
Benn explained that solvents are more
popular among young people because of
their easy accessibilty and inexpen-
siveness. He noted that one of the most
commonly used solvents is PAM, the no -
stick spray used in cooking.
The fumes are absorbed into the blood.,,
stream through the Mucous membranes of
the nose, throat and lungs, Benn explain-
ed. Short-term effects include exhilara-
tion and disorientation, hallucinations,
poor muscle control,, slurred speech 'and
dizziness. With larger doses, users riskun-
consciousness, suffocation and heart
failure.
Benn noted that there is, no legal control
over the possession and purchase of
slovents. •
How are drugs regulated
Drugs are regulated and controlled by
the federal Narcotics Act and -or the Food
and Drug Act. .
Possession, trafficking, importation and
cultivation of drugs results in a variety of
charges if a person is caught and found
guilty.
Benn told the audience that possession of
a narcotic, for example cocaine, can result
in fines of up to $1,000 or up to six months
imprisonment for the first offence. A se-
cond offence can result in up to $2,000 in
fines or up to 1 year imprisonment. Traf-
ficking in narcotics can result in up to life
imprisonment while importation of a nar-
cotic is a criminal offence resulting,ain a
minimum of seven years imprisonment.
Cultivation of the opium poppy or cannibis
plant results in up to seven years
imprisonment.
Possession of restricted drugs, such as
ISD, can result in fines of up to $5,000 or up
to three years imprisonment while traf-
ficking can result in imprisonment of up to
10 years, Benn said.
What you can do about
drugs in the community
The drug problem is a problem of the
people and a cure doesn't come easily,
Plamondon said`.
"People usually come out to see the pro-
gram and then they stop doing anything
about it. We would like to see it go further.
Turn to page 10A
Out here in Wainfleet where party
crackers and cow bells violate the noise
bylaws, New Year's Day is pretty much
the same as every other day, bordering
on the identical.
That's why I try and do something a lit-
tle different, breathe a little life into the
death of one year and the birth of yet
another.
Last year Murray The Cop and I decid-
ed to celebrate the Chinese New Year. It
was great. We got the whole community
together for a New fear's Day bash.
In reverence to the symbols of the
Chinese New Year we mixed drinks as
strong as •oxen, we baked bread&in the
shape of cats, we pulled taffy in the form
of fish and dressed up Murray's harle-
quin Dane as a horse. Pretty soon
everybody was having a helluva time
prowling around like tigers and crowing
like roosters.
It was good clean family fun until Mur-
ray The Cop and I had a few too many
drinks as°strong as oxen. We had toasted
every Chinese New. Year going back to
Ming and 'covered every ,animal symbol
save for one.
This past New Year I was invited to an
afternoon party in Port Colborne by an
Italian lady who does not know me very
well. °
• T'love Italians. All of them. Arms flail-
ing, screaming, yelling, banging on
tables and pinching cheeks - they're like
an, entire race. of Curliest Larrys and
Moes.
And hospitable? When you say "'no" in
an Italian household you'd better be arm-
• ed or carrying a doctor's certificate ex
empting you. from the ingestion of food
and drink.
In 1987 I think we should all resolve to'
quit trying to unravel . the mysteries of
the Aztecs and the Mayas and concen-
trate on trying to figure.out the Italians.
They are the only species of mankind
who-c-ook in the basement,. eat lathe itit- ,__..
chen, seldom venture into the living
room and use the dining room as a f •
museum of family 'photography. -
Maybe it's just that the first Italian
family to Canada got confused about the
function of each room in a house and the
rest, as they 'say', are doomed to repeat j
the mistakes of history. They don't seem
to understand that 'in Canada the base- ;
ment is for storing useless gifts of
Christmases past as well as hockey
equipment, mildewed clothing and cases (1
of empty beer bottles. Perhaps it has I
never been explained to them that the liv-
ing room is the place where the dog and ,{
the old man sleep, that the dining room is
the place where you eat to impress com-
pany and the kitchen is where you eat to
eat.
And when will they ever learn that the
family photos are to be stowed away in j
albums where nobody, especially family,
can ever see them?
So there we were on New Year's Day
sitting around the kitchen table at Uncle
Massimino's house - 13 adult Italians,
two children being passed from person to i.
person like cheesetrays and me, the guy
they affectionately call "Who's That, •!
Man?"
In order for eight conversations to be
carried II on simultaneously. between 19'
people, somebody has to be cheating. A
few people, and I won't name them, ,
because I. can't spell them, were main-
taining more than the. allowed dialogues
as laid down by the ethics of good com-
munication. They differentiate multiple '
conversations by various degrees of
loudness in voices which range from
"shrill" right up to the level where stray
dogs were pawing with agony at the kit-
chen door. •
Fortunately I had thought ahead and
brought my own subtitles. Unfortunately
I had forgot to •bring one of those yellow
hard hats with the plastic ear mufflers
• screwed on the sides.
An Italian kitchen anytime, but par-
ticularly during a festive occasion of
which they manage 2.5 per week, is
bedlam. Blessed, affectionate passionate
bedlam.
Few races of people on this' earth love
and respect each other like the Italians;
certainly none is as good at
demonstrating this love. And the kids
have the raw -pink cheeks to prove it.
Nailed over the doorway of the kitchen
which leads to an immaculate and va-
cant living room was the ubiquitous por-
trait of The Last Supper. And as I looked
across at Uncle Massimino inspired by
the season and pouring from a bottle of
Canadian Rye Whiskey, I was struck by
the similarity of the portrait and scene '
being played out before me. And he took
the bottle, and gave thanks, and said: (I .
translate here) "Take this, and divide it
among yourselves ..." But I stuck with
the pale rose wine for I was driving this
day.
We outnumbered those in The Last
Supper scene and they had more impor-
tant matters at hand than playing pa4s
the newborn baby - but it was an ex-
perience of faith nonetheless.
It would have been a tough act for ,
anyone to.get more mileage out of a .bot- ,
tle of spirits and three dozen pizzella
cookies than Uncle Massimino and Aunt
Genoina.
Until this day 1 didn't know you could
Turn to page 2A
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