The criminal, health and emotional crises created by addiction to substances such as crystal meth have brought together Squamish's medical, enforcement and mental health agencies. But officers, nurses and counsellors all acutely feel the limitations of what they can do. Sea to Sky Community Services counsellor Denise Evans says addressing all the needs is next to impossible due to funding restrictions.
"We need someone who's designated full-time family and youth worker as well as at least a couple of people doing the adult population so we can do groups. At this point I do groups in the schools but I'm doing so much individual counseling I don't have time to run groups or to run a drop-in program."
But everyone is trying to do their part.
Colin Worth of the RCMP says Squamish's detachment is concerned with Squamish's addiction problem and officers support drug and alcohol counselors and the other social services in this community. Although no meth labs have been discovered, marijuana grow-operations are found, said Worth. The RCMP's primary focus, however, is on crime prevention.
"We have to do what we can from the crime side of things to make it harder for people to support their habit, which hopefully in turn causes them to seek help for their addiction," said Worth"That means lock your cars, make sure your vehicles are locked and valuables are in the trunk, be involved in block watch and report suspicious activity.
"They seem pretty simple on the face of it, and pretty well worn and yet we find that communities that begin to take care of themselves generally there is lower rate of crime in those areas."
The RCMP is also heavily involved with youth, believing that prevention is the key to fighting drugs. RCMP officers coach sports teams and are involved with Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE), and join Sea to Sky Community school-based prevention co-ordinator Leanna Buffie in talking to elementary and high school students about the dangers of drugs. This approach can be more productive than busting dealers and grow-ops, said Worth.
"We simply don't have, and I don't think any police force in Canada has, the resources to immediately respond to reports of a grow-op. But over a few days and maybe a week or two then we generally will have the opportunity to gather the information, get a search warrant and execute the search warrant. And if someone's been tipped off or they believe that they see police hanging about in our attempt to gather more information, they may get concerned and close down their grow op, so by the time we execute the search warrant, no one's there."
A Vancouver Coastal Health initiative aims at reducing the harmful effects of addiction on society through its needle exchange program. The health authority's program attempts to reduce the spread of Hepatitis and HIV. The program has as its objectives "to increase the overall health of all members of our communities including those who choose to use drugs or have high-risk sexual activity," according to the needle exchange pamphlet. For 14 hours a week, a Vancouver Coastal Health needle exchange coordinator supplies sterile needles, sterile water and clean injection material in and out of the public health offices. Public health nurses will not attempt to get addicts to quite using, choosing instead to "respect each other's beliefs, values and concepts." But services are immediately available to those who express a desire to get clean.
The program also has as its objective to collect 100 per cent of the needles it gives out and that objective is almost always met, said public health nurse Amy Jolicoeur. One shortfall, however, is that many clients wish the hours would be extended, but that's impossible due to limited funding.
Vancouver Coastal Health's Sea to Sky Manager of Mental Health and Addictions, Claudia Frowein, said addicts wishing to kick the habit have options nonetheless. Some may need to admit themselves to a detox program, while others can detox at home. Treatment facilities are available throughout the Lower Mainland to those who have detoxed, but some may choose to attend counseling and group treatment from home. Frowein expects a response to funding requests for a recovery house and other services within the next few weeks.
