COCAINE WORRIES

Police Intelligence Says Pushers Targeting Junior High

Drug pushers are starting to sell cocaine to junior high students aged 12-14, according to city police.

Traffickers lurk outside junior highs and sell the highly addictive drug for $80 a gram, says drug squad Staff.  Sgt.  Dick Nyenhuis.

"We haven't made arrests yet, but we have intelligence reports that indicate it's happening."

Marijuana has been sold into some junior highs for years, but the appearance of cocaine is new, and highly troubling to cops.

"It's an issue, yes," says Nyenhuis.  "There's cocaine in every high school now, and in some junior highs.

"It's not on a daily basis, but we know it's happening."

Nyenhuis wouldn't name any schools, citing intelligence concerns.

But he said it would be a mistake for parents and educators to assume that any junior high is safe.

"It's more likely to happen in affluent areas where kids have some money.

"But cocaine could also be sold in less prosperous neighbourhoods if students have money from other sources, perhaps criminal activity."

The two most recent busts involving students were for marijuana offences.

Three Lord Beaverbrook high students were caught with marijuana in an alley behind the school.

One boy was charged and all three were suspended.

In another case, a resource officer found three boys with marijuana at Henry Wise Wood high.

Marijuana is still far more popular than cocaine, mainly because it costs only $15 per gram.

But cocaine is starting to become a "status" drug for some early teens - -- and Nyenhuis faults society at large.

"It's society's indifference to drugs and drug abuse," he says.

"You see high-profile individuals caught with drugs and that gives it a Hollywood look.  Of course, kids notoriously think they're invincible, that nothing's ever going to kill them or hurt them."

But cocaine can be especially dangerous to inexperienced youngsters.

The cops are also worried about another drug-soaked trend -- the increasing popularity of "raves."

Nearly every weekend, news of these dance parties spreads by word of mouth.

When they're advertised, they often boast that no alcohol is allowed.

"That's sometimes true -- but there's always plenty of drugs," says Nyenhuis.

"We're starting to hear of more and more raves.  It's an international trend, not just in Calgary.  Parents should be aware of what goes on, and know that the risks far outweigh any benefits."

The police always pay a visit to raves when they hear about them.  But often the locations are kept secret until the last minute.

Nyenhuis urges all parents to be alert for the warning signs of drugs use.

"You want to keep an eye on the concentration level of your children, on changes in their work ethic, whether their marks are going down, and if they're spending a lot more time out with their friends.

"Mainly, you look for a big change in attitude toward you and school."

The good news on the teen drug scene, the sergeant says, is that crack cocaine and heroin haven't yet appeared in Calgary schools.

"Once we start seeing that in highs or junior highs, we really will know we have a major problem."

For now, the problem is scary enough.