13 28TH ANNUAL CRIME PREVENTION GUIDE MESSAGE FROM CHARLOTTETOWN’S CHIEF OF POLICE This year marks the twenty-eighth anniversary for the PEl Police Association. Part of the work of the Association involves the production of an annual crime prevention/awareness guide. Each year the guide provides educational material and information which helps raise awareness and provide discussion points on an important issue facing our communities. This year the guide focuses on the issue of Prescription DrugAbuse Awareness. For as long as there have been medicines and products aimed to heal injuries, cure diseases and relieve pain, there has been experimentation with overusing and abusing those products. From the rise of the initial patent medicine industry through to modern day scientifically-engineered prescription drugs, there have been good medicines that have advanced medical treatments. These products include opioids, stimulants, sedatives and tranquillizers. Currently, for a multitude of reasons, Canadians are experiencing a surge of harms associated with opioids. Education and information are key components to making our communities safer. Educating ourselves about opioids: what they are, how they work in the brain and body, risk factors for using them and how to spot signs of use are all good first steps. The information provided in this guide; coupled with your willingness to talk about the issue with a friend, family member, or co-worker can help in addressing these issues. The production of this guide and other guides not only raise awareness on important issues, but also assist the Police Association in the efforts to fund and support very worthwhile projects within our Island communities. On behalf of the members and staff of the Charlottetown Police Services, I would like to congratulate the PEl Police Association for the production of this year’s community guide, and wish the Association every success in the future. Yours truly, A. Paul Smith, O.O.M. Chief of Police
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