Inuvik (Dec 20/04) - Combating the arrival of drugs into small communities within the territories can often prove to be challenging, say the RCMP.

Drugs can arrive in a neat package via the mail system or be found taped to a person disembarking an aircraft into communities.

Currently, Yellowknife RCMP do not have a drug-sniffing dog to help with the task of weeding out the good packages from the bad at the airport, says Cpl. Larry O'Brien, RCMP "G" Division drug awareness co-ordinator.

The Dempster Highway is another popular way to bring up drugs.

Sgt. Cliff McKay with the Fort McPherson RCMP detachment said while there are drugs in the community, they are present on a small scale and hard drugs are seldom seen.

"Our concern is alcohol," McKay said. "Alcohol is a growing concern here and we're called out a lot on alcohol-related problems.

"We're hearing of crack in Inuvik, but we're not hearing of the use of it in any other communities. You hear about marijuana use in virtually every community."

In Deline, marijuana and hashish are the drugs of choice, says Cpl. Urbano Ciccarelli. But they are a distant second to alcohol use, he adds.

"If I go to 50 calls a month, I would say 49 of them are alcohol-related and one would be drug-related," Ciccarelli says.

Cpl. Woody Woodfine at the Inuvik detachment said 24 drug investigations were conducted in the first 10 months of the year.

Inuvik RCMP have intercepted as much as 10lb of marijuana through the mail, Woodfine said.

Holman is the same as every other community as far as the presence of drugs is concerned, said former mayor Gary Bristow.

"It's becoming an issue," Bristow said.

While the drug of choice is mainly marijuana, he said the cost of such a habit adds up quickly.

"It works out that about one-third of your paycheque is going towards drugs. Then you wonder why people have financial problems."

In Sachs Harbour, Mayor Andy Carpenter said while it is inevitable there is drug use in the community, there is no way to prove such activity.

"I know it comes in here. There's a problem in every place," Carpenter said.

Police agree the best way to combat the use of drugs is through various drug awareness programs offered.

"We try to implement them in as many communities as we can," O'Brien said.