Intercontinental Cry

In recent years, the Peguis First Nation, a community of 7,200 in northern Manitoba, has been faced with a drug abuse epidemic. Hard drugs like crack and crystal meth have proliferated on the reserve; bringing with it prostitution, gangs, weapons, and break-ins so frequent that some people are afraid to leave their homes.

Last fall Peguis took a big step to start addressing the problem, or at least the immediate one. The northern community opted to enact a bylaw that stipulates banishment as a penalty for anyone caught dealing drugs, and that requires all band members to pass a drug-screening test.

Earlier this month, Matthew Little of the Epoch times interviewed Garry Sinclair, the drug prevention coordinator for Peguis First Nation. Sinclair says the bylaw’s working good so far — “drug dealers have stopped plying their wares boldly in the …