Grande Prairie Crime Reduction

By Liam Verster

Community

Crime Reduction Lunch & Learn focuses on drug trends in Grande Prairie

Oct 7, 2019 | 9:17 AM

Grande Prairie Crime Prevention’s November Lunch & Learn event is “Drug Trends in GP.”

The event is being held at the Muskoseepi Park’s Pavilion Meeting Room from 12-1 p.m. on Tuesday, but sold out in just 24 hours.

An RCMP officer will host the event, and educate people on the drug trends in the city, show pictures of the drugs to help the public identify them, and provide information on them and their effects.

Cheryl George, the Community Liaison with Crime Prevention, says there’s a lot of different drugs out there. Grande Prairie has not been immune to the opioid epidemic, and there has also been a resurgence of methamphetamine use in the community.

She says the purpose of the event is to educate the public on street drugs.

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“You can’t get enough education on things. It’s good for parents to see what their kids are getting exposed to. It’s good for adults, it’s good for everybody to actually educate themselves, and learn what’s out there. Learn what the names are, so that when they hear things, they’re not just oblivious to what’s going on, and just hoping that education can lead to prevention, and we can get out of this crisis.”

George says the presentation will be led by a member of the RCMP Drug Unit.

“He’s going to show the types and the amounts of drugs, and weapons, and money, that they’ve confiscated when they’ve served search warrants, or they’ve done traffic stops, or anything like that. He’s got a pretty extensive list of stuff that he goes through.”

She adds this event is Grande Prairie specific, and not based on statistics coming out of Edmonton, Calgary, or elsewhere. She says a lot of the public doesn’t think there is much of a drug issue in the community, and this Lunch & Learn will help raise awareness.

“A lot of people don’t realize exactly how serious the drugs are here in town. They think it’s not that bad, that we’re pretty low key, but it’s actually not. I think a lot of people that come will be surprised by the amount of information that they’re going to receive.”

This is the first Drug Trends Lunch & Learn event. Grande Prairie Crime Reduction has also put on events focused on fraud awareness, social media awareness, cannabis effects and awareness, and more.

George says the public interest in this event has been a good sign, and they will host the same event on December 3 at City on 99th. She says there will be more seating available at that Lunch & Learn, and hopes they will see as much interest in the topic when that day comes.