WHITBY FREE PRESS, Thursday, July 27, 1972, page Il 'Wanna' Buy Some Dope? - by O.rth Hardie "Wanna buy some dope?" Is one of thecommonestqueries posed to many of Whitby's youth. Pool halls, school dances, even the streets are not safe from people whoare peddling their "wares". Even in our rel atively small town the denrrandfor and the availability of illicit drugs is indeed surprising. You name it-m ar i j uana, LSD, speed - it's in Whitby. On many a supposedly quiet Friday night an undeterminable number of kids can be found "living in another worldll at their friend's parties. This is not to say that everyone un- der twenty-one smokes-up every Friday n i g h t , but it is to sav that there is a problem-a problem which many people tend to treat with indifference. Some parents make the mistake of saying it's "somebody else's kid, not m i n e . " No, your chi Idren- wouldn't shoot a five-buck hit of "smack" into their veins, or do "downers". "It's not her, it's that kid across the street that does that sort of thing. " Even a con siderab le degree of aw a r en e s s may notprevent Whitby's youth from taking drugs, but if one at- tempts to ignore the problem, then one tends to condone it. Frequent and heavy use of drugs may cause lossof appetite and malnutrition. Addicts frequently suffer from hepati- ARENA CONDEMNED continued from front page. taken in 1light of t h e CounciIs resion- sibility in the area of publ ic safety as a direct result of the new safety regulat- ions issued by the Province of Ontario lastmonthaswell as the report already received on the Whi tby Arena. The Whitby Arena which is to be demolishedwas built by a citizens group o n Town owned land in 1954 at an ap- p r o x i m a t e cost of $l00, 000 of wh ich $ 60, 000.00 was raised by public sub- scription and $40, 000 by debentures. The facility has served the community well for 18 years. In discussing a re- p I a c e m ent it has been reported to the c i I t h a t a twin p a d arena would cost between $ 7 0 0 , 000 and $1, 000, 000. 0 0 butno action on replacement will be un- der taken until the special committee reports back to council. AI though the closing of Whitby's Arena affects many local groups cilosel y, Whitby Minor Hockey, a strong grow- i n g organization has been placed in a particularly precarious position. "We have been assured Oshawa will do wha t i t c an to help, "said Minor H o c k e y President Ed Crouch, "But I can tell yourightnow, wewon't be g e t t i n g prime hours, we'll be getting off hours. " A s k e d if the Brooklin Arena coul d a c c o m m o date the 1, 200 young hockey players in the local minor hockey assoc- iation, h e answered, "I would have to say no. I Mr. Crouch expressed some concern for the Iack of time between now and the date the minor hockéy schedule gets un- derway, September 15. Well1 known local hockey figure Dut ch Morrison who manages the Lasco Steel- erPeeWee AIl Stars said he hoped the tis, tetanus, or other infections from dirty hypodermic needles, and the walls of their veins break dowvn from repeated puncturing. Abscesses develop, and permanent scar tissue forms. The opiates Induce dependence very quickly, andwithdrawal causes severe physical discomfort. Dut the blame doesn't necessarily fall onto the parents. When teenagers start-togrowup, their responsibilities start to grow up, their responsibili- ties, to themselves and those around them, grow with them. It is their re- sponsibility, not to get involved or to experiment with drugs. The reasons for teenage drug- abuse are varied. Many young people merely experiment, because they are curious. The social need, the feeling of being accepted is prevalent. Teen- agers feel that tobewith the "in-crowd" you have to do what they do. But in "the end the "in-crowd" usually respect you for being more mature than to get in- volved. Other kids have emotional hang- ups and use drugs as an outlet. While yetothers do it mainly to rebel against people who represent authority such as their parents or the police. After the continual use of drugs, the user begins to feel himself deteriorate both mentally and physically. Some people have to fall off of a bridge, thinking that they can fly, be- town knew what it was going to do wi th the 1200 boys expected to participate in this season's minor hockey program. "lf this (the arena) had been a busin- ess project wi th business people behind it, they would have planned to build a replacement facility, " said Morrison. "The arena represents a lot of good times and a lot of good things for me, " said former 'Dunnie' Councillor Robert Attersley. "But the arena has to come down there's no question about that. Il "In 1968 somewhere in the price range of $10,000 was spent out for the arena on repair work. Even then we questioned the building's life span, " he said. Autlrize Dealer SMITH-CORONA NEWANS OFFICE EQUIPMENT 117 Tregit St. W. 68-3'3s BERNIES MOTOR SALES American Motors Wl HORNET HORNET SPORTABOUT WITH GUCCI TRIM 668-2262 BASELINE ROAD AT WHITBY-PICKER/NG TOWNLINE fore they become aware of whà t they have gotten into. Others hallucinate, thinking that perhaps something is c h a s 1in g them and that they must get away. But they are really crawling down the street on ail fours instead of running. Many simply end up in mental institutions as complete "vegetables". Others, yet, don't have the so-cal led "lucki" to fall off of a bridge and survive, because they're dead. Dead from the hy- podermic needle, dead from that last tablet of "acid". There should be an immediate and massive program of education and pre- vention to stave off potentially uncon- trollabledrug problems within Whitby. T h e attack should be directed at the schools and the public in an effort to change an increasingly lenient attitude towards drugs. Society today even tends to look on the use of heroin wi th indifference-and acceptance. Courts h a v e become too soft - especial ly on traffickers. Unless drug abuse I aws are strictly enforced, the problem will continue and multiply. One Whitby resident, a former drug- user, said, 'Il copped out on acid five times last September, and each time, it took me a week to get back to nor- mal. I "Bel ieve me, "he said, 'Septem- ber was a very bad month." GRADUATE Carol Anne CIark, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Clark of Gilbert Street Street East in Whitby, graduated rec- entl y f rom Credit Valley School of Nu r sin g, Mississauga. Carol was a g r a duate of Henry Street High School and ha s accepted a position at Ajax, Pickering Hospital. NOW SHOWING at July 27 -28- 29 the 6 (Z' 2ND JANE FONDA QW DONALD SUTHERLAND WARREN 3 BEATTY JULIE CHRISTIE McCABE & MRS. MILLER FEATURE hlute Cildren's Matinse Sot. 1:30 pm SUPERARGO vs DIABOLICUS Com'ng July 30 - 31 -Aug. 1 | T1E ODIIEGII Iili . ON SAME PROGRAM e maR in BONNIE & CLYDE AOULT PNTERTAINMEN.T STARTS WEDNESDAY S U M M E R '42 ASmT plus RACHAEL, RACH1EL Adults 1.75 PCohie 668-3618 children .50 Students 1. 25 Show Stort !7:00 p.m. Daily FREE PARKING