Zurich Citizens News, 1971-01-28, Page 2PAGE TWO
ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 1971
Narcotics Ni ht He
call Attracts Large Crowd of Interested Persons
POLICE WELL REPRESENTED - Three various branches of the law were represented at the
Narcotics Night held in Hensall last Thursday. Left to right are Corporal Ray Brooks, Exeter
detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police; Ted Duffy, master of ceremonies for the event;
Corporal Keith Trail, Goderich detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; and Ted
Day, chief of the Exeter Police Force.
CLERGY ATTEND - Most area churches were represented by their clergy at the Narcotics
Night in Hensall last Thursday, sponsored by the Kinsmen Club. Left to right are Father A.
Durand, of St. Boniface Church, Zurich; Rev H. Currie, of Hensall United Church; Major Jack
Barr, of the Salvation Army; Bill Fuss, chairman of the committee in charge of the event; and
Rev. A .C. Blackwell, of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Zurich.
PROFESSIONAL ADVICE - Another aspect of the narcotics problem was given to the large
gathering at Hensall last Thursday night, by this group of people. Left to right are; Mrs. F.
McAvoy, of the Huron -Perth Addictions Research Foundation; Dr. T. Hughes, of the Drug Abuse
Education Unit in Ottawa; John Baker, president of the Hensall Kinsmen, who sponsored the
evening; and Dr. C. Moyo, of Seaforth.
(by Rev. A.C. Blackwell)
"I have never smoked "pot"
but I am a concerned parent"
were the words of Tom Duffy,
of the Hensall Kinsmen as he
welcomed the large audience
and the panel. Practically every-
thing from chocolates to heroin
got into the picture during the
Narcotics Information Night
in the Hensall Public School
last Thursday night when the
Kinsmen Club invited a well
informed panel of speakers to
tell of their views and experience
of the current drug scene,. It
was one of those events of which
we would say, "You should have
been there."
In the film shown near the end
of the program we hear a victim
of a police raid on a marijuana
party saying, "It is my constitut-
ional right to do what I like with
my own body." Incidentally
the same thought was quoted
critically by the Rev. Anthony
Durand of Zurich earlier in the
program. Father Durand was
speaking on the moral issues in-
volved in drug use and abuse.
He quoted the contemporary
mood as "I can do what I like
with myself. " but said that self
damage is a destructive attack
on one's own freedom. He used
as illustration a small boy left
free to eat a box of chocolates,
but after exercising such free-
dom the child is certainly not
free from headache, stomach
pain, nausea and a general
feeling of complete misery.
Likewise a person who exer-
cises any freedom he thinks he.
might have to jump from a
high roof is no longer free to
choose whether he will float
or fall. There is great wisdom
in the Christian words and attit-
ude, "You are not your own,
your life is hid with Christ in
God." Christian faith is to be
nailed, hand and foot, to the
present moment. Christ was of-
fered a chemical comfort to help
him escape the pain, but refused
it. The example set is that we
too accept our "present mom-
ents" without seeking escape.
Christ came to give man a
"breakthrough to his true free-
dom.
In a similar statement, Cap-
tain Ron Sheragen of Concord
House, London, representative
of the Salvation Army on the
panel, said that anxiety, ten-
sion, and pain are necessary in
life or we would all be dead.
We grow by coping with life and
we die when we try to escape
from its realities. He said that
drugs in themselves are not the
real problem. The problem is
to cope with life realistically.
The Captain spoke sympathetic-
ally towards young people cop-
ing with the stresses of adoles-
cence, but life is interesting
and is to be shared joyfully with
the young.
Dave Hammond of St. Marys,
but formerly of the Toronto Pol-
ice Force spoke soberingly of
several events well known in
recent news reports in which
killing of self and of others took
place when persons were under
the influence of drugs. In the
time for question and answer
exchange he also warned that
relaxation of present laws against
drug abuse is just the thing the
agents of organized crime are
waiting for.
Corporal Keith Trail, of the
RCMP narcotics division gave
impressive statistics showing
the increase in the number'
of arrests in Canada for the
misuse of marijuana during the
1960's as compared witI1 arrests
for using and trafficing in other
drugs. In 1962-1963 there were
413 arrests for such things as
drugs, of which 20 were for
marijuana. In 1967-1968 there
were 2248 arrests for drugs of
which 678 were for marijuana.
He also supplied authoritative
information about penalties,
parole, and the status of persons
who have at any time been gui-
lty in the eyes of the law conc-
erning drug abuse.
Mrs. Frieda McAvoy, of the
Huron and Perth Addictions Re-
search Foundation based in Strat-
ford gave a comprehensive de-
scription of Canadian society as
it relates to the drug issues.
"We are a drug oriented society
looking for a quick route to a
pain-free environment."
We are an "in -and -out society"
which relies less on self than on
the chemical helps. This is true,
she said, of people in many age
groups. The drug problem is not
confined to the young.
She pointed out that a great
bulk of prescription drugs are
issued because of their effect
upon the mind, for example the
barbiturates and tranquillizers.
Mrs. McAvoy would not separate
the problem of drugs from the
problem of alcohol, but named
alcohol as the narcotic which
causes by far the greatest a-
mount of grief in our society.
The two physicians on the
panel were Dr. Hughes, of the
newly formed Drug Abuse Educ-
ation Unit in Ottawa and Dr.
Moyo, practising medicine and
surgery in. Seaforth. Both gave
factual information from their
resources and experiences, The
Education Unit was formed to
co-ordinate the drug education
programs of the various govern-
ments in Canada and of private
agencies. Be complimented
the Ontario Addictions Research
Foundation as one of the most
advanced in Canada or any-
where.
One of the problems of educ-
ation concerning narcotics was
pointed up when the two doctors
did not agree fully on the addic-
tive nature of marijuana. Only
one would say that it is definit-
ely physically addictive. Dr.
Moyo based this statement on
his observations in South Africa
as a youth and on his medical
practice in the United Kingdom
and in Canada.
When asked from the floor
what clues parents should look
for to know whether their sons
or daughters are experimenting
with narcotics, Dr. Moyo ans-
wered that a• sudden drop in
school standings was one clue
and the manner of walking may
be another. By moving across ,
the platform he demonstrated
a marijuana addict's lackadais-
ical walk.
To the same question, Corpor-
al Trail said that possession of
cigarette papers without tobacco
to roll in them was also a clue -
especially if tailor-made cig-
arettes were on hand. This
would be evidence that the
papers were being used to roll
"joints" of cannabis products.
Father Durand added that the
burning of incense was also a
clue as it was often used to hide
the smell of marijuana smoking.
Many questions came from
the audience, some asking why
there should be a breakdown in
our society that brings on the
drug problem. The Rev. Harold
Currie, of Hensall answered
that he felt it was due to a lack
of commitment. The drug prob-
lem is a sympton of a deeper
problem of failure to appreciate
the dignity and purpose of life.
(continued on page 7)