Pubdate: Sat, 07 Apr 2001 Source: Herald, The (WA) Copyright: 2001 The Daily Herald Co. Contact: http://www.mapinc.org/media/190 Website: http://www.heraldnet.com/ Author: Janice Podsada, Herald Writer PARENTS NURTURING CHILD DRUG USE, EXPERTS SAY When 18-year-old Dennis Cramm, who was sentenced Thursday to 60 years in prison for killing two Everett teen-agers, told authorities his father shared illegal drugs with him, local juvenile probation counselors were not surprised. About 20 percent of teen-agers prosecuted for drug use either had shared drugs or were introduced to them by their parents, Snohomish County probation counselors say. A new University of Washington study supports their conclusions. The drugs parents share with their kids include alcohol and prescription medications all the way to heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and barbiturates, said Dawn Williams, a county juvenile drug court coordinator . "We work with chemically dependent teens -- countywide, from Mill Creek to Darrington," Williams said. The three-year UW study reports that up to 27 percent of drug-addicted teens in Snohomish County told researchers that they live with or have lived with a parent who uses drugs. Dennis Cramm has told reporters and investigators that he and his father, Dale, 45, shared a love for drugs, particularly marijuana. The Cramms not only partied together, but father and son operated their own marijuana distribution business, the younger Cramm has testified. State corrections officials determined drug use had been a feature in the Cramm home for years and allegedly involved both of the young man's parents. "Drug use was rampant in the household, and the Cramms encouraged their son's participation," they said in court papers. In the last 10 years, the number of teen-agers who say a parent shared or introduced them to drugs has skyrocketed, said Tom Alvers, a county probation counselor whose career began in 1975. Teen-agers entering the juvenile justice system diagnosed as chemically dependent say they began using drugs, on average, at 11 years old, probation counselors say. Teen-agers who began using drugs at an earlier age typically say mom or dad was the supplier. "We see teens who began drug use when they were 6 to 10 years old. The kids who start at that age get the chemicals from their parent," Alvers said. The introduction begins early -- sometimes before birth, sometimes with the bottle. "The baby cries too much, so the parent puts sedatives in their bottle," Williams said. Willliams' caseload includes a 17-year-old girl whose first exposure to drugs was helping inject her parents with cocaine. She first used cocaine when she was 8. Alvers recently counseled another 17-year-old girl whose parents provided her with heroin when she was 15. "Now she's terribly hooked on heroin. It breaks your heart," Alvers said. Drug-addicted parents who share drugs with their children typically believe they are doing their offspring a favor by guiding them through their drug use, Alvers said. "They'll say, 'Since my kids are going to use these chemicals, I'm going to teach them how to use these drugs right.' " Such a parent is no longer a parent, Alvers said. "The parent is now their dope buddy." In years past, some parents introduced their children to alcohol, which was not uncommon, probation counselors say. But now, a generation of parents accustomed to a wide range of drugs are sharing them with their children, said Ken Stark, director of the state's Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse. "Right now, we know that parents with tolerant attitudes toward drugs or parents who use themselves represent the highest risk factor for drug use among children," Stark said. Statewide, 82 percent of teen-agers locked up in juvenile detention centers report a drug addiction problem, about the same percentage as adult inmates, Stark said. The cost to society is great, with local, state and social institutions straining under the economic costs of teen-age drug use. Medical care, mental health care, the criminal justice system, Child Protective Services, foster care, the morgue -- all those systems are greatly affected by the consequences of untreated drug addiction, Stark said. To counteract the problem, treatment dollars are needed across the board. "In Snohomish County, we spend $2 million on adults for substance abuse treatment and only $250,000 for juveniles," Williams said. "They need to be equal. We need to help the kids." The number of teen-agers being treated for drug addiction has increased in the past few years, but more help is needed, Stark said. State dollars are able to provide treatment for about three out of 10 drug-addicted teen-agers; for adults the figure is two out of 10. "Still, seven out of 10 don't get it," Stark said. "We're getting better at their treatment, but in all cases it's atrocious. The majority of people -- adults and children -- who are poor don't get it." Rich or poor, drug addiction among families is a difficult cycle to break. Children who grow up with parents addicted to alcohol or drugs are more likely to be physically or sexually abused, and less likely to develop good social or coping skills or self-esteem. "Break a drunk's bottle, and you get hit," Alvers said to illustrate his point. Low self-esteem has a tremendous impact, acting as a springboard for self-destructive behavior, he added. Medical studies point to a strong genetic component to addiction; the malady runs in families. Juvenile probation counselors such as Williams and Alvers can recite scores of anecdotes in support of the research. "That 17-year-old girl addicted to heroin -- the one whose parents introduced her to heroin -- her grandfather is an alcoholic. He's reeking of alcohol when he comes to court. He has his fifth under his arm." - - Sidebar - Family drug use In the last three years, 406 Snohomish County chemically-dependent teen-agers under the age of 18 were evaluated for the Chemical Dependency Disposition Alternative Program, or CETA. Their average age was 15.5 years. 21 percent reported that a mother or mother figure uses or used drugs. 27 percent reported that a father or father figure uses or used drugs. 34 percent reported that a mother or mother figure had an alcohol problem. 48 percent reported that a father or father figure had an alcohol problem. Source: University of Washington Alcohol and Drug Use Institute - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens