SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Pop cans sliced and converted into bongs. Backpacks clinking as bottles collide with binders. Empty Visine bottles discarded in bathrooms.

Former Calgary police officer Steve Walton talked to a group of parents and educators at St. Patrick's High School on Tuesday night about how to identify drugs and people using drugs. - Elizabeth McMillan/NNSL photo

These subtle but telling signs, scattered around high schools in Yellowknife, are early indications of a larger and looming problem – youth addiction and drug use.

The majority of high school students in Yellowknife have tried alcohol in the past year. Just less than half have tried either cannabis or cigarettes. While only four per cent of students surveyed have tried cocaine, more than half of students think the drug is a problem. These are the numbers found during a drug survey conducted at St. Patrick's and Sir John Franklin last September. Some of the results were released April 27.

Approximately 20 people gathered on the bleachers in the St. Pat's drama room Tuesday night to talk about the findings and how they could deal with drugs in Yellowknife. Most people present at the meeting were involved in a professional capacity, though some were also concerned parents.

The Committee for the Prevention of Youth Substance Abuse conducted a survey to determine just how widespread, and how damaging, drugs are among students in Grade 9 to 12.

The group includes representatives from all three school boards and high schools, the city, the RCMP, the Departments of Justice, Education, Culture and Employment, Health and Social Services.

The committee – modelled on a similar initiative in Hay River -- formed a year ago to re-new focus on the drug-free zones around the high schools and survey students to find out just how prevalent drug use is.

The survey results presented were general. While a similar drug survey in Hay River revealed more specific numbers – for instance, a breakdown of how many students used cocaine in the past 30 days, and drug use by grade level – so far, the Yellowknife results only contain overall figures on how many people have tried cannabis, tobacco and alcohol use in the past year and ever.

Parent and Catholic school board trustee Rose-Marie Jackson said she would have liked to see specifics beyond the highlights and wanted to compare the numbers to the national average.

Former Calgary police officer Steve Walton, who was in Yellowknife giving numerous presentations on drugs, said the committee and survey are a step in the right direction.

"Drug criminals don't like this. Every opportunity you get, advertise that you have a drug coalition," he said. "Criminals like it when drugs are just a police issue."

What Walton said about the survey was surprising to some. The most troubling statistic wasn't the number of cocaine users, but the number of tobacco smokers.

He said tobacco smokers are a high-risk group and people are more likely to use drugs later if they smoke already.

Anita Griffore, supervisor of instruction for student support with Yellowknife Education District 1, said she found knowing 20 high schools students had tried cocaine was "alarming" but Walton's comments about cigarettes made her think twice.

A long-time cigarette smoker who recently quit, Griffore said the more she reflected on it, the more she thought he was right about the new generation of smokers.

"It's such a clearly harmful thing. Kids are taught this from such an early age," she said. "Listening to high school kids talk about how tobacco is so gross, the kids who do it are obviously willing to take risks with their health and may have other issues motivating them."

St. Patrick's principle Coleen McDonald said teachers have shared the survey results with students and no one is surprised. One thing she'd like to see the committee do is designate more schools as "drug-free zones." RCMP Const. Todd Scaplen said there is no specific legislation to enhance sentences for people caught buying or selling in the drug-free zones, but it's a aggravating factor when a person is sentenced.

Arrests on school property aren't frequent but drug-free zones have come up several times in court since their creation four years ago, he said.

Scaplen, who spoke at the meeting, said he's in favour of expanding the zones.

"Schools are the heart of a town. I think it's important schools are protected first off and foremost before anything else," he said.