The RCMP are seeing an increased amount of assault reports this year, with almost half of them relating to drug and alcohol use.
According to local RCMP statistics, 134 out of 283 reported assaults in the area this year were related to drug and alcohol use. This is up from 2006, when the number was just 46. This doesn’t necessarily mean the crimes are happening more — people may be just calling the police more often than they did in the past, said RCMP Const. Megan Purton at a Lac La Biche & Area Drug Coalition meeting on Nov. 16.
There have also been 34 files on possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking and 16 impaired driving charges, the statistics state. The most common illegal drugs in the area are crack cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana — but they aren’t the biggest problem, Purton said.
“Alcohol is the biggest problem we have,” she said, adding that it contributes to the amount of sexual assaults, which often go unreported.
She also stressed that marijuana may not be perceived as a serious drug by some, but still has its dangers.
“People think it’s harmless because it’s just a plant, but you don’t know where you’re getting it from,” Purton said. “But a lot of drug dealers lace it with something harder.”
The Drug Coalition is planning two awareness campaigns to address drug use in the area.
Raising awareness of the effects of drugs is an effective way to prevent future problems, both Purton and Drug Coalition coordinator Susanne Onciul-Pich say.
“It’s all about education,” Onciul-Pich said, emphasizing that drug awareness should start early.
In the next couple of months, the group will be putting together an information package for parents which will include pictures, names, and effects of the more common drugs, as well as resources on what to do to address possible problems, Onciul-Pich said.
She added they are also planning to put together a photo-voice project, showing different views of groups of all ages from the community.
“It would give perspectives of everyone in the community,” Onciul-Pich said, adding she hopes this project will start in the new year, and coalition members will soon be approaching schools to see if they’d like to take part.
She stressed that education on drug use is crucial.
“We need to increase awareness so that we can stop the problem,” she said.
“The more education we give people, the more of a chance that we have to stop them from going down the road of drug and alcohol abuse and the life-threatening effects that they have.”
