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The Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-10-26, Page 11Wednesday, October 26, 2016 • Lucknow Sentinel 15 Cocaine use among 18-25 year olds is growing in Huron County, says OPP during drug forum Darryl Coote Goderich Signal Star The popularity of cocaine with 18 to 25 year olds in Huron County is growing, according to OPP Detective Constable Max Miller. The Huron County Drug Office - Community Drug Action Team member said during a public forum the night of Oct. 19, 2016 that all street drugs are present in Huron County, but cocaine is becoming more popular with this demographic because it is seen as a party drug that has fewer negative side effects than methamphetamine. "It's hard for us to combat cocaine usage because you can be a functioning addict but hold down a 9 -to -5 job," he said. "So it's hard for us to kind of get into the cocaine scene because it's not like methamphetamine where people are doing anything they have to get it:' About 70 parents, teach- ers, healthcare professionals and other members of the public attended the drug information forum held by the Huron County Youth Jus- tice Committee Program to learn about drug identifica- tion, the effects of drugs on the body, safety concerns and emerging drugs in the region, such as cocaine, which local police says is becoming more popular in Huron, but specifically Goderich. "It's hard for us to get into it," Miller said. "We're work- ing on it. David Greer, provincial constable with the Huron OPP detachment, then reminded the audience that while cocaine may be thought of as a party drug, buying it supports, among other things, organized crime that have gained a foothold in Southern Ontario such as the Triads and the Hells Angels. He added that its sale sup- ports slave labour in South American countries where cocaine is made and then smuggled north. "So you might think, oh letter to the editor Building Bridges campaign asks for support for online voting contest Dear Editor, Building Bridges needs the communities' help and we need it Now! We need each and every- one to VOTE for our Mait- land River Playground Project. Our idea has been excepted as a possible funding project for the AVIVA community Fund. To show AVIVA how seri- ous we are, we need to you to vote for this project at: www.avivacommunity- fund.org/voting/project/ view/16-264 The process is very sim- ple. First you must Register at www.avivacommunity- fund.org. Click the green Login/Register button at the top. You will register your email and a password. After this you will receive an email from Aviva Com- munity Fund. Click the "complete your registra- tion" button, now you are eligible to vote. Voting has already opened and will close Fri- day Oct. 28. You have a total of 18 votes and you can cast all 18 votes at once to support our bid to finish what will be a fully accessible play- ground at Maitland River Elementary School. Please encourage friends and family to register and vote. We need to make the top 15 most -voted to continue to our journey to win $100,000! This is just part of the campaign to improve our community and provide new opportunities for youth. For more information or to find out what other things we are doing and how you can get involved, contact us at bridges2fu- ture@gmail.com I am pleading for your five minutes to vote, which is all the time it takes. Please help us! Karri-Anne Cameron Co-chair Building Bridges To Our Future Campaign I'm just buying a little cocaine to have some fun, but you're supporting all that behind it to get it into this country," Greer said. Its use could also lead to experimentation with more potent drugs, such as crack cocaine or methampheta- mine, which is also prominent in Huron County, Miller said. Though Miller was unable to provide statistics for the prevalence of any drugs in the region, he wanted those in the crowd to know that these two drugs are here and they are a problem. "A few people don't believe Huron County has a methamphetamine prob- lem, but we're handing out hit kits," Miller said, holding up a ziplock bag filled with non -reusable needles and other tools for the safe con- sumption of the drug. One peculiarity in the county concerning metham- phetamine is that people here are injecting it, an uncommon practice in other areas, Miller said and he is unsure of why. Fentanyl is a drug he hasn't seen much of in the region but he warned the audience to learn about this heroin -like drug because it is here and may become a problem as it was last year in Owen Sound where where there were a handful of deaths and several people hospitalized for overdoses. "I haven't seen very much fentanyl in Huron County but it is here and it is com- ing," he said. Drugs are also closely con- nected to crime in the region, he said, specifically petty thefts, stolen vehicles and smash and grab robberies. While there are no official statistics, "I would argue it's all interrelated," Miller said. Greer added that it makes sense to assume most crimes of opportunities are caused by people trying to scrounge up enough cash to buy drugs. "Drug dealers will accept watches, GPS's -- really any- thing with value," Miller said. By area, he said metham- phetamine is popular in the northern part of Huron as it is a drug closely associated with big cities, such as Stratford where it is a problem and spreading to the north end of Perth County. Huron, which its agricultural sector, is also the location of many mari- huana grow operations, he said, and Goderich has "pretty much a mix of everything" though a higher rate of cocaine than the rest of the county. Southern Huron, he said, has a higher rate of her- oin pills, such as Fentanyl. However, Miller told the audience that though they are the police they don't just deal in warrants and arrests, but that they understand drugs as a health issue and take in information about people who are potential users for the purposes to make sure they are alright. "We don't got out there everyday looking for how many people we can arrest today," Miller said. "We understand addiction is an issue and just because we arrest somebody doesn't mean it's going to fix that' Greer added they want to get those in need the help they need. Terres Donnelly, the Huron County Crown Attor- ney who organized the event with the youth justice com- mittee, said the reason for the forum was to arm par- ents, service providers and members of the public with information to keep the community safe and healthy. "We want safe families. We want healthy families and safe communities," she told The Signal Star. She added that the turn- out was fantastic and showed the commitment of the community to achieving this goal. "It's fantastic," she said. "Seventy people who came on a night when they proba- bly have something else on because they are invested in their community and their family as well and we are all working to a common goal. It's fantastic." She added that there will be similar presentations held this spring in Wingham and Exeter. Lucknow Legends dominate Strafford in first match 8-2 The Lucknow Legends had a successful home opener Saturday night, defeating Stratford 8-2. The Legends would like to welcome new comers Kayla Black, Jessica Small, Brittany Hymers and returning rookie Bailey nwmo NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION McDonagh. Missy Kuik kicked off the scoring this season with a quick short handed goal. Justine Hart grabbed goal number two with a set up from Julie Binning. Kuik and Katie Smith would team up for goal number SOCIETE DE GESTION DES DECHETS NUCLEAIRES three. The dynamic duo of Bin- ning and Hart would strike four more times with two goals each. Hart with one assist and Binninh with two, assists also going to Dru Austin and Diane Bushell. Bailey Mcdonagh NWMO Learn More Centre Everyone is welcome. Drop in and learn more about Adaptive Phased Management (APM), and ongoing work in the area. APM is Canada's plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is working collaboratively with Huron -Kinloss to consider the project and advance preliminary assessment studies. The Township of Huron -Kinloss is one of nine communities involved in this learning process. wrapped up the game with a goal from Smyth and Brittany Hymers. Kayla Black was strong in net earning her first win as a Legend. The next Legends home game is Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. NWMO Learn More Centre (Huron -Kinloss) 46 Queen St., Ripley ON (across from Lewis Park) 519.386.6711 Wednesdays Thursdays Fridays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.