Trail Blazers Talk Drugs
Published in The Chronicle, November 2009.

Trail Blazers Talk Drugs
by Corin Wilson
http://chronicle.durhamcollege.ca/story.php?id=4393&issue

Drugs are an ongoing issue in Canada, and a new group on campus is trying to help students by spreading honest drug education and awareness.
The Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy has chapters at many Canadian colleges and universities, and now Durham College and UOIT have been included on that list.
Group executives are Cory Halpert and Laura Menzies, both fourth-year Criminology students at UOIT, and Kevin Serge, a second-year Graphic Design student at Durham College.
Halpert said this group is important not only to teach students about drugs, but also about the harm of drug prohibition and prohibition policies. The group does not promote drug use, but the executives hope it can be used as a resource for students.
The CSSDP is described as a national, grassroots, youth and student network, according to the website. Duties for the chapters can include anything from public education to drug policy reform and harm reduction projects.
“Whether people do drugs or not, it’s an issue on campus,” said Halpert. “We are exercising our right to have a voice in what we know is right.”
The next step for the group is recruiting members. Halpert said he already has a list of people who are interested in becoming members and he hopes to take a few minutes in some of the other Criminology classes to talk to those students about joining. Any students who are interested are free to join.
Halpert and Serge agreed that starting a group of this nature is a little more difficult than the average club on campus. Halpert said people have a close-minded attitude and are not open to discussion about drugs, so it is a challenge to get through to students.
“If we continue with our current way of life, it will get worse and people will remain ignorant about drugs, and it doesn’t matter if you are talking about illegal or prescription drugs,” said Serge. He feels it is very important for people to understand the harm surrounding all drugs, including typical over-the-counter medicine.
Serge said a perfect example of ignorance has to do with common painkillers such as Tylenol or Advil. He feels that people have become too dependent on drugs such as those and they are not aware of the long-term damage that can occur.
He wants people to understand that the CSSDP does not focus purely on marijuana legalization or illegal drug awareness, but also on the disadvantages of prescription medicine.
The executives have many ideas for events throughout the year, including an interesting twist on a movie night. Halpert explained that if Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album is played while the Wizard of Oz is playing, the movie syncs up with the album and makes sense with the lyrics of the songs.
Recently, Halpert and Serge were able to attend the national CSSDP conference in Vancouver. They said it was an unbelievable experience and they learned a lot from talking to activists and politicians interested in drug issues. They hope to share information from the conference with new members.
Although the CSSDP is a new group on campus this year, and it is still in the starting stages, Halpert and Serge are already looking into the future.
Because Halpert is in the final year of his program, he is hoping to set up the foundation for different students to take over in the coming years.
“This is something we are very passionate about,” said Serge. “I really hope we can find a few first-years, possibly this year or next year, who share that passion and will take the group in the right direction.”
Students can keep their eyes open around campus for information on upcoming events. For more information, check out the CSSDP - Durham College/UOIT group on Facebook.