Outreach worker raises alarm over drug epidemic in city

Myles Moreau, a long time local outreach worker in Prince Rupert, has noticed that there has been an increase in the use of cocaine and crack in the area, a situation which is “sucking in” a wide cross section of our community.

His thoughts should be required reading for many parents in the area who need to know of the problems that dwell just around a corner in some parts of this city.

Moreau paints a rather scary picture of life on our streets and one that should be attended to by our elected officials.

Moreau’s comments and his warnings on the problem at hand appeared in Thursday’s Daily News.

PARENTS URGED TO TALK TO KIDS AS CRACK CRISIS GROWS
Outreach worker says young people are taking more risks with health
By Christian Webber
The Daily News
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Page 5

Myles Moreau has been working in street outreach in this community for more than 20 years and he says there is an epidemic here with cocaine and crack.

“There are far too many dealers and too many kids being put at risk,” said Moreau.

He knows the cause and effect because he was once an addict as well.

He said that kids from the high schools and up are getting involved with drugs that they should be leaving alone. And he said the demographic of who is getting sucked in includes young kids, old kids, parents, suits and business people. He knows that drugs are really easy to get into, but hard to get out of.

“We’re not going to defeat it, but if we can try to curve it as much as possible and make our kids more aware that they’re messing with the wrong thing…” said Moreau.

Although alcohol is still the biggest drug problem, coke and crack can be more dangerous and they are starting to take over.

Moreau is out there trying to make people aware of the problem as much as possible, especially parents.

“With coke, parent’s can’t smell it like they can with pot, so a lot of them are getting away with it,” said Moreau.

But there are signs that parents can look out for their children, such as changes in eating habits, sleeping habits, new friends, and selling belongings to keep up the habit.

Moreau is hoping to put a workshop together to address parents on these important issues.

“I find with the amount of dealers we have in town, high school kids and kids on the street, there will be a lot more break-and-enters and the sex trade will grow,” said Moreau.

He said that the RCMP officers are doing everything they can, and he commends their effort, but he said there is a need for funding from the city for more help.

Moreau says the drug problem has no boundaries, it is effecting Asians, First Nations, and Caucasians. He stressed that it’s not just one culture that’s getting caught up, it’s affecting everyone.

A big problem with having a large number of drug dealers in a city the size of Prince Rupert is the easy accessibility. Moreau said one sign it is growing is the fact that you can now buy crack at times more easily than marijuana.

Some of the dealers even have kids in the schools dealing for them.

“I’m the only outreach worker on the street, and it’s very frustrating, you don’t know where to go from here. I can only work with people who want my help, it’s far too much for this sized town,” said Moreau.

He said throughout the years he has noticed kids are taking more risks.

They think they are invincible, we have a higher teen prostitution situation, male and female, and a lot of kids are dropping out of school,” said Moreau.

He said there is some violence involved with the drug and sex trade, especially in the summer. There are even small gangs in the area.

“I keep telling these young kids that none of these people are your friends, it’s a dog-eat-dog world,” said Moreau.

He said that there are probably 12 and 13 year-olds playing with drugs but most people doing so are in the high schools.

“With the big ships coming in, if we don’t clean up our social pollution, we’re not going to have half as many tourists when the word gets out,” said Moreau.

What has to be looked at is bringing in extra police officers, have some money available to hire more. The courts have to be more strict, he said, because people are going through the system and being released and dealing again.

And parents have to start asking more questions. They have to be aware and open doors to people like Moreau who are looking to help.

“I always tell parents, you want to be straight up with your kids and bring the wall down for communication, you have to put your ego behind you and let them know you’ve made some choices in your life. Don’t turn your back on them and be willing to help them in any way possible,” said Moreau.

Parents with and without kids with problems should be concerned because it could be their neighbour, their kid’s friends or extended family. Anyone with questions or needing help can reach Myles Moreau, the outreach service coordinator at 130 First Avenue West, or by calling 622-2767.