Pubdate: Fri, 20 Sep 2002
Source: Gainesville Sun, The (FL)
Copyright: 2002 The Gainesville Sun
Contact:  http://www.sunone.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/163
Author: Lise Fisher, Jon M. Fletcher

FIGHTING DRUG USE

Speaking to hundreds of teenagers, the director of Florida's Office of Drug 
Control said Thursday that survey results show decreasing drug use among 
the state's youth, contrary to national trends.

James R. McDonough said drug use for the state's children is down in every 
category. He mentioned a 38 percent decrease in the use of crack cocaine, a 
40 percent decrease in cocaine use and a 50 percent drop in heroin use. For 
marijuana use, there was a 13 percent drop among middle school students and 
a 5 percent drop among high school students. Alcohol and tobacco use also 
decreased, he said the 2001-2002 survey showed.

The numbers buck results documenting a national increase and shows that 
Florida's youths are "leading the nation," McDonough said.

His comments won applause from the more than 600 people gathered at the 
Sheraton Hotel in Gainesville for the second annual Regional Drug Summit.

Professionals, parents and students from 15 north and central Florida 
counties attended the one-day summit to talk about drug abuse education and 
prevention. Organizers hope the roughly 300 middle and high school students 
who a-ttended will take the message against drug use back to their peers.

Students attended seminars on drug abuse prevention and participated in 
activities to build teamwork and communication skills.

McDonough credited the state's improved numbers to efforts by parents to 
talk to their kids about drug abuse, better treatment opportunities to help 
addicts, drug seizures by law enforcement and the growing number of drug 
courts.

McDonough also called for community coalitions against drug use in every 
county in Florida.

Students also listened to Omar Aleman, a special agent with the Drug 
Enforcement Administration.

A motivational speaker, Aleman helps coordinate drug coalitions throughout 
Florida and Latin American and provides assistance to drug-free youth 
programs. The agent spoke about a variety of people he has met over the 
years who used drugs or were hurt by substance abuse.

State Sen. Rod Smith, D-Alachua, another speaker, said the war against 
drugs is not over, calling it a long battle that must be continued.

Parents who had lost children to drug abuse spoke to other adults during 
one of the summit's seminars. One speaker was Alachua County Sheriff Steve 
Oelrich.

Oelrich told how his son, Nick, made a post-graduation trip to Cancun, 
Mexico, in 1995. The sheriff didn't want his son to go, he said, but Nick 
was 18 and he went. After a day of drinking on what Oelrich called a "booze 
cruise," Nick fell from a third-story hotel balcony. He landed on his head. 
He didn't get medical treatment for about two hours because Cancun 
officials said he appeared to be just one of many students they would find 
passed out in the area.

Oelrich said if other parents find their kids asking to go on similar 
trips, "Don't tell them, 'No.' Tell them, 'Hell no.'

"He's with the Lord now. But they leave us here to agonize over if we did 
the right thing. There's not a day goes by that I don't miss that kid," he 
said.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens