At their annual meeting Thursday, leaders of the four western provinces and three northern territories called on Ottawa to ensure that sentences for trafficking in meth are at least as harsh as those for cocaine or heroine. Judges have discretion in sentencing, but the jail terms for meth are often half or a third as long as those given for the other drugs.

"Our youth are in really quite grave danger in this drug", said Alberta deputy premier Shirley McClellan, who filled in for an ailing Ralph Klein as host of the conference. "It doesn't seem to be perceived publicly as such a serious drug and addiction, where in fact it should be classed with absolutely the worst of drugs."

The premiers also plan to lobby the federal government for tighter controls on the materials used to produce crystal meth - all commonplace, legal substances on their own.

Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert will chair a meeting of western health, justice and public safety ministers in Regina in June to come up with concrete steps that can be taken on the enforcement front. They'll also look for the best ways to educate kids/parents about the dangers of crystal meth and to treat those who have become addicted. The premiers plan to bring their ideas to a June meeting of the western U.S. governors as well as to a national first ministers' meeting this August in Banff, Alta.

More Young Canadians have access to disease-fighting vaccines
TORONTO - More children in Canada now have access to important disease-preventing vaccines than ever before as a result of nationwide efforts to enhance immunization programs in Canada. With the introduction of new immunization programs across Canada, an additional 450,000 children each year can obtain publicly funded vaccines for protection against serious infections such as meningitis, blood infections, pneumonia, ear infections, chicken pox and whooping cough. The vaccines have been introduced by the provinces and territories following funding by the Government of Canada to improve the availability of vaccines. [read on]

The Human Nature Daily Review

Canadian Quotes of The Day ... and more [on the lighter side]

Children of Alcoholics: Are They Different? An estimated 6.6 million children under the age of 18 years live in households with at least one alcoholic parent. [read on]

Sexuality Education for Parents ~ TALK TO ME! ~ "Talk To Me" is a sexuality education program designed to help parents to talk to their children about sexuality. It has been developed with emphasis on teenage perspectives. It was initially developed by the Cape Breton Wellness Centre and the University College of Cape Breton, in collaboration with parents and funded by Health Canada. "Talk To Me" was then adapted into French and revised to address the recommendations of parents who had participated in a pilot project. [read on]

Edition No. 22
Insight EFAP International