Puff the Magic Dragon |
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Always On The Move!!! |
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With Shout Outs from Crew!! |
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Section D : Information Relating To The Need To
Address Substance Abuse
Under section D.
of this proposal, information regarding substance abuse and the toll it has on
persons susceptible to becoming addicted to drugs and/or alcohol at an early
age, provides insight towards the need for a community to seriously consider
integrating short and long term solutions towards reaching youth at risk for
facing regular hunger concerns, and/or homelessness at an early age due to
varying circumstances in the daily dynamics of a young persons life. Through
awareness of the perils of drug addictions faced by vulnerable youth and this
peer group, the community at large has the first tool in combating the further
spread of community hunger and degradation by introducing alternative
solutions in the form of community safe housing projects designed to
address the immediate needs and future growth of persons caught up in a negative
cycle of on-going drug addiction, possible sexual exploitation, crime activity
and other poverty related concerns when it relates directly to youth and food
insecurity issues faced by them on a regular basis. For every problem faced by
a youth and this peer group there is a community solution that can work
in favor of reversing the damaging effects that on-going hunger, drug
addiction, sexual abuse and/or lack of general regard to solving this National
problem where vulnerable youth are left to defend for themselves. Through
awareness, community activism and through integrating Youth Safe Houses
in combination with other food source alternatives on a direct community
level, the future prospect of alleviating all food insecurity concerns within
our communities can be solved much quicker and effectively, than if we were to
remain to continue to ignore the plight of our future generation and the trials
and tribulations that many of them face today.
D. Bring
attention to the issue of National drug and/or alcohol abuse and misconduct
within the teen population and to the dangers connected to any drug
addiction. In addition, bring awareness to the problems facing youth at risk
from disconnecting further from their community in the form of becoming a child
prostitute due to the lack of adequate support services provided within any
given community, that relates directly towards preventing the exploitation
of vulnerable youth and children, as a means to address drug and
alcohol abuse within the teen and young adult population and the multiple dangers
connected to such behavior openly and effectively.
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......1. In relation to drug abuse and to the prevention of
teen addictions, financial assistance geared towards these types of programs
..........have been limited and namely punitive based and therefore, could
benefit from receiving added revenues to help assist youth in
..........the areas of preventative measure services against drug abuse or addiction.
.........a) Develop strategies to deter the growing problem
of local community drug infestation whether the drug concern is centralized
..............within a local school area, or at local teen hang out (eg. pool hall, alley
ways).
..............A motto used by a Youth Worker is centered squarely on
prevention before the addiction, in correlation to preventing the fire
..............before having to put it out,
.........b) Develop and strategize new techniques in areas where
approaching youth to deal with the issues of drug addiction becomes
..............a familiar and trusted alternative for them to address this problem.
.........c) Encourage and build upon the concept of trust based
programs verses punitive based programs as a means to offer youth a
..............reliable solution to reconnecting back to their community
under a support system that operates around positive mentorship
..............and is centered around developing trust between Youth Workers and high risk youth.
.........d) Integrate, and/or expand on the above suggested youth programs within those Districts
who participate in the Nu-Nations
..............Unity™ After Hours Community Celebration, for the purpose
of securing fundamental trust issues between youth at high
..............risk and positive youth mentors.
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MamaGee says; "No Gangsta Rap!!"
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2. General information relating to methamphetamine use in
British Columbia, and combined strategies that deal with educating the
public of this dangerous substance, identifying high risk populations in harms
way, and suggested solutions to deter this growing trend that adversely affects
thousands of youth and adults across the Province.
A joint effort under the BC’s
Methamphetamine Strategy initiative in collaboration with BC
Government Ministries, District Municipalities,
Health Authorities, Educational Institutes and Community Organizations is
under way of becoming a vital resource in the prevention and in the elimination of
dangerous drug abuse or addiction that all communities face.
a) Numbers of related deaths to methamphetamine use has increased by doubling each year
since the year 2000, while total ratio death rate compared to other illicit
drug overdose is decreasing.
1) People most at risk to methamphetamine abuse are street youth, youth involved in the rave
scene and gay men, but this is not to say that elementary or high
school students are not at risk to potential abuse being that this drug is everywhere
and only a phone call away.
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MamaGee forgiving our Nations Youth :)
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2) Street youth experience a rate at 71% to becoming addicted to a lifetime prevalence of
crystal meth abuse, compared to 19% of persons surveyed in a Lower Mainland
non-school setting. In total, 4% to 5% of the general youth population suffer
from methamphetamine abuse and/or addiction.
3) It has been noted that children as young as 11 to 13 years old are either experimenting
and/or becoming addiction to crystal meth in combination with other drugs,
although 14 to 29 year olds are subject to being most at risk.
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4) The drug ecstasy seized in drug raids at raves show 65% of drugs
tested were laced with Methamphetamine.
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b) Methamphetamine, whether called crystal meth, speed, crank, ice or jib is easily and most often
made in homes, where ingredients used to produce the by-product of the drug
vary in raw household materials and over the counter medications that pose huge
potential health hazards and concerns to individuals and to communities.
1) The use of crystal meth is also combined with other substances such as crack, heroin,
alcohol and/or cocaine, causing higher risk to injury or death
related to overdoses.
2) Drug dealers take advantage of the fact that by combining speed with cocaine or crack
their profit margin increases, while reducing their production costs. More profit means more
drugs.
c) The use of crystal meth increases stimulation of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine
receptors in the brain, making short and/or long term use very dangerous
that results in permanent damage to the physical body and human mind. Males are
at higher risk to addiction than females, while persons from urban areas are
more vulnerable to becoming addicted to speed than those persons from the
north.
1) Intoxication can last from anywhere between 2 to 16 hours and side effects can include
irritability, nervousness, insomnia, loss of appetite, heart palpitations, hot
flashes, and in extreme cases mental confusion, severe anxiety, paranoia,
violence and psychosis and/or death due to cardiovascular system collapse or stroke.
2) Long-term effects of methamphetamine use have been linked to structural changes to the
brain, memory loss, difficulty in completing complex tasks and permanent
psychotic symptoms.
3) The over all financial cost connected to this problematic substance abuse rangers in the
billions of dollars as healthcare professional and communities continue to battle to reduce
the damaging effects that individuals and families face.
d) The British Columbia Provincial Government is working towards a 5 Point Priority For
Action Program as means to introduce and build upon existing
strategies that prevent the spread of methamphetamine use within communities
across the Province of British Columbia, Canada.
1) The 5 Point Priority For Action Program applies itself to: 1. Offering information
to the general public; 2. Work on building safer communities; 3.
Concentrate efforts on high-risk populations; 4. Educate service
providers; and 5. Introduce harm reduction strategies to
individuals.
2) It has been noted that the problems of methamphetamine use is still not considered wide spread
enough to be deemed to be an extremely serious problem. However, 1 (one) youth is always too many to have die
or become permanently brain damaged because of lack of acknowledgement of this on going problem,
that affects all communities across the Province.
Point of reference: Crystal Meth & Other Amphetamines: An Integrated BC Strategy:
British Columbia Health Services
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Hey, Hey! It's a Recruitment: Calling Youth Committees!! |
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Puff Taking A Well Deserved Nap!% |
Thank You To Our Volunteers!! |
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