Former drug addict says city needs youth detox centre By ALEX HAMILTON IF A local youth detox centre had been avail- able to Lee (not her real name) when she was a glue-sniffing teenager, she expects her life would have turned out much differently. For one thing, she believes if she had been weaned off drugs and alcohol when she was 13 years old, she may never have graduated to using heroin when she was 20, She also may never have spent two years ‘in prison for robbing a Vancouver drug store at gunpoint to support her $700-a-day- heroin’ ad-" diction. “I robbed, stole, lied — whatever il took to buy drugs,” Lee said. She wants Terrace locals who are opposed fo having a youth delox centre located ‘in ‘their neighborhood to know that detox centres save young peoples’ tives. She believes a local youth detox centre would have prevented her from getting infec- ted with the Hepatitis C virus, which she con- tracted from using a dirty needle while living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. ; “] didn’t have anyone to turn to when L. was young,” Lee said. “I didn’t have @ a chance to. That’s why the new youth detox centre opening here this month, is so important, she said. “Getting kids this young, gives them a bet- ter chance of getting cured before they’re too old,” Lee said. “Kids bounce back: faster and have a fat better chance of recovering.” “My life would have been a whole lot dif- ferent if | had gotten help. It would have made a world of difference,” The centre, which will house up to six drug or alcohol “addicted ‘youths between’ the ages of cility outside of the lower mainland. ‘The youths, who will come from across the northwest, will receive supervised treatment for various addictions for 30 days. Lee said it’s important to have a detox centre in {he area so youths don’t have to go to Vancouver for teatment. In Vancouver, they’re miles away from friends and family, and are often lured back to the. street and drugs. “With the bright lights and the big city theyre going to “want to be out there,” she said. ‘Because ‘that’s pet clean. * From front exactly what happened to her. She was in and out of Vancouver's adull detox centre 13 times before she was finally cured of her herain prablem. She said having to leaving her family and child in Prince Rupert: whenever she went back to detox was difficull.’- “My family couldn't visit me and [couldn't . see my kid,” she said. “I lost that support,” Never the less, she said the Vancouver detox centre saved her life. Not only did coun- sellers helped her get off drugs, they taught her “life'skilis, like how to find a jobs - : 12 and 19, is the first voluntary youth detox fa- . She reminds people who are uipset that the Terrace: detox centre is located -in. their neigh- bourhood thal if drug-addicted youths aren’t in detox, they'll be gut on the streets doing erime ‘lo pay for drugs or prostituting themselves. She-said residents living on the same strect as the. detox centre needn't worry about ¢ crime increasing in their area cither. “Those kids are there because they want help,” she said. “They’ re nol going to hurt anybady.” What makes Lee angry is that many people don’t realise there are drug- addicts land dealers , living in their area already. Money big question for Kemess road roasted by his constituents for enforcing the cabinet decision that favoured sawmills in the interior at the expense of ones here. Parker, now working as a consultant,. has been hired by two clients to map out possible routes for the road and could be a key player in- getting it built and ultimately rever- ‘sing his own decision as forests minister, Parker says the road would likely come from the mine into the upper reaches of the Skeena and along the Sustut River, be- fore crossing over into the Sicintine River drainage. * From there it could end up ‘on forestry roads north of Kispiox, and depending on the route, could connect to Hwy 37 near either Cran- berry Junction. Another possible option - would take the road past Damdochax Lake and down the Nass River to link with forestry roads north of Meziadin Lake. Talstra and other north- _ west mayors met here Sa- > turday about the road idea. “We as mayors want to push hard for it to happen,” Talstra said. “It will create same stability for the sawmilis, particu- larly in Hazelton, maybe in Smithers and a bit * shooting off to Terrace. It Every Sunday Treat Yourself to ¢Fresh Fruit & Cheese e Homemade Baked Goods °Your choice of a freshly prepared main course ¢Coffee or Tea included. “Frverienice the Blackstone Brunch” will make forestry a little more viable throughout the region.” Also supportive of a road are Gitksan chiefs, says Gitksan spokesman Elmer Derrick. The road would help them improve ties and ser- vices to Gilksan people living in the village of Bear Lake along the pro- posed route, he said, “There’s some beautiful scenery up there that can support some ecotourism as well,” Derrick said. That, however, could also raise environmental opposition to the project. “We would have to weigh the environmental costs and the benefits,” said Ed Beswick, the re- gional mines manager based in Prince George... .. A big concern would be what road access might do. to the Sustut River’s high fisheries values, he said. Beswick said the road would allow access to other mineral claims in the area that are in the early exploration stages. The economics of the idea do appear ta make sense for Kemess, Be- swick said, noting Kemess has already test-shipped some 10,000 tonnes of concentrate it trucked to Stewart via Prince George. “They have been look- ing at alternatives to get their concentrate to tide- water,” he said. “But it’s certainly not them driving this.” The idea may make sense - for this region il least ~ bul money is the main obstacle. “T don’t know how much money Kemess has to pul in a read,” said Prince Rupert Forest Re- gion manager Jim Snetsin- ger said. “Government doesn’t have the appetite to put up the money. 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