A strategy to deal with substance abuse on the Sunshine Coast was presented to educators, RCMP members, outreach workers, health professionals, politicians and community members last Thursday, Nov. 23, in the Sechelt Indian Band Longhouse.
The strategy is the culmination of six months work funded through a provincial crystal meth grant and overseen by the Sunshine Coast Community Methamphetamine Response Program advisory committee. However, Carol Nielsen, who formulated the report, said it was obvious the Sunshine Coast community wanted a strategy to deal with more than just crystal meth issues.
"Our goal was to develop a strategy for a co-ordinated Coast-wide strategy to effectively deal with substance abuse in our community," she said.
Through research it was found that "substance abuse" included tobacco, alcohol, illegal drugs and prescription drugs on the Sunshine Coast.
Research in the report states 36 per cent of 20 to 24 year olds on the Sunshine Coast smoke and 80 per cent of people 15 years old and older have had a drink in the past year, while 35 per cent reported alcohol use by others had harmed them in the past year. A surprising 52 per cent of those aged 15 and older on the Sunshine Coast admitted to having used cannabis in their lives, which is the highest percentage in Canada, while five per cent of students in grades seven to 12 said they may have used methamphetamine.
The most misused substances by youth on the Sunshine Coast were identified as being marijuana and alcohol.
The number one priority identified in the report is to develop a Sunshine Coast recovery house.
"Many mentioned the need to send people who were ready for treatment somewhere close to family, friends and a support system," said the report.
During discussion following Nielsen's presentation, Const. Bryson Hill noted he is currently working with Vision Quest to secure a house to implement a recovery program locally.
"We just need to get a place and we can be up and running," he said.
Heather Gordon of the advisory committee noted Hill's efforts would be taken into consideration so the task force (which will oversee the implementation of recommendations in the report) doesn't double up on work already being done in the community.
"There still may be a need for a day program as well, which is something the task force will look into," she said.
The number one recommendation in Nielsen's report titled "Opened Doors: A Co-ordinated Coast-Wide Substance Abuse Strategic Framework," is to set up a substance abuse task force to move the strategy forward. Coast Reporter recently presented a three-part series touching on several issues based on the Opened Doors concept.
Different organizations would participate in the task force in different ways. Some, such as school-based organizations, may be primarily involved in prevention activities such as awareness campaigns. Others, such as addiction services workers, may focus more on treatment and harm reduction activities such as the recovery day program, the report states.
More recommendations in the report include building awareness of the problems in the community and stepping up parent education, implementing school-based prevention programs, having the task force support the RCMP, particularly in the area of youth initiatives, and having the task force take on more research in the areas of addictions for seniors and ways to decrease risk factors in all age groups.
Nielsen hopes the recommendations in the report will help to make the vision a reality of having "people live free of harms associated with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and substances." More money is needed to implement the recommendations."We will be seeking more funding from local and provincial governments to make that happen," Gordon said.
She said existing committees dealing with substance abuse issues will be invited to participate in the task force and that in January the task force will approve the steps suggested in the report, make any changes necessary and adopt a terms of reference to proceed with their mandate to move the strategy forward.
"Then we will find ways to undertake the actions suggested once they are approved by the task force. It will probably involve the creation of some sub-committees to work on specific action items, for example, the recovery house," Gordon said.For more information about the strategy, go to www.sunshinecoastsubstanceabusestrategy.ca where a copy of the strategy in its entirety was uploaded this week.
