Christine Kay
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Nov 11/02) - Gasoline, hair spray and mouthwash are used as mind-altering substances in many Northern communities.

Users -- very often youths -- inhale the products to get high. In the case of mouthwash where high levels of alcohol are present, users drink the liquid to become intoxicated.

While the problem is widespread in Nunavut, efforts made at the community level help control the abuse of these products.

Glenn Cousins, manager of NorthMart in Iqaluit, said authorities do what they can to make sure the products are not abused.

"We have been asked by the RCMP to refuse service for those products when we feel there may be a case of abuse," said Cousins.

NorthMart's policy is to keep hair spray, mouthwash and other alcohol-based products in a secure glass cabinet. The only way to purchase these items is to get someone from the pharmacy to open the locked cabinets.

RCMP said not all communities have these restrictions.

"In the communities where there are controls, they are put in place because there is a need to have them," said RCMP "V" Division Staff Sgt. Mike Jeffrey.

When it comes to solvent abuse using naphtha gas or propane, control is more difficult. Cousins said NorthMart currently does not have a policy in place for the sale of these products. He said it was unlikely that a clerk would sell these items to a crowd of young people, but there is no guarantee. He also said despite the efforts made by stores like NorthMart, there are other ways for people to acquire potentially harmful products.

In June 1997, three Arctic Bay girls between the ages of nine and eleven suffered burns to their hands and faces. They were sniffing fuel from a propane tank when it exploded. The tank was stored in a shed belonging to one of the child's parents.

Don Ellis, the director of health and social services' programs for the government's Department of Health, said preventive measures are important as is support for those who fall through the cracks and experiment with solvents.

This year, $217,000 from the Building Healthy Communities fund was set aside exclusively for solvent abuse programs.

Ataguttaaluk school in Iglulik applied for funding to provide individual support to youth involved in substance abuse. The school's application for $32,167 was approved. The program started in September.

"The funding will be used for counselling children who are involved, or at risk of substance abuse. The children involved in solvent abuse are receiving the most attention from this," said program support teacher Carolyn MacDonald. She works with children by talking to them and getting them involved in traditional activities like sewing, beading, and tool-making. The program provides the children with much-needed one-on-one attention.

"It's making a big difference to these few kids," said MacDonald.

Iglulik's part-time wellness counsellor Louise Haulli said she's happy the school took on this initiative.

"Just seeing the community, you can see it's a problem even if you're not looking for it," she said.

Haulli hopes to get more support in the community. She has put in a request for a full-time wellness position to be opened up.