Pubdate: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 Source: Sun Herald (MS) Copyright: 2003, The Sun Herald Contact: http://www.sunherald.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/432 Author: Melissa M. Scallan DRUG MEETING SET THURSDAY Long Beach Tackles Youths' Problem LONG BEACH -Community leaders and parents will gather Thursday night to talk about the drug problem among the city's youths and what can be done about it. This is the second such meeting in a year, and organizers hope to develop programs in city schools and the community to keep young people away from drugs. "I think it's a mixed bag," said Fred Walker, a member of the drug task force and an organizer of both meetings. "I think we've brought awareness to the problem. Unfortunately, we've had several young people die from drugs since last year, so we still have some work to do." At the meeting Thursday, parents will be asked to sign a pledge that they won't allow alcohol or other illicit drugs to be served to minors in their home or on their property. "Research shows that the younger a person drinks, the more likely they are to develop a substance-abuse problem," Walker said. Victoria Magers, a member of the task force and a guidance counselor at Long Beach Middle School, helped develop the pledge. "It's committee members and parents taking a stand on protecting youth against drugs," she said. The task force received the results of a confidential Internet drug survey taken recently by Long Beach students. Those results will be released at Thursday's meeting. "The good news there is that the results look better," Walker said. "The bad news is that we still have a problem." Last year's results showed that marijuana use increased among eighth-graders and 10th-graders and that alcohol use increased among sixth-graders. Walker said that task force members have met with city leaders in the past year to talk about the problem and possible solutions. "I think what our leaders need to hear from the community is that we want them to take the problem seriously," Walker said. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drug Task Force What: Long Beach community members will hold a meeting to discuss the drug problem among young people in the city. Speakers include School Superintendent Charles Lyle and Police Chief Harley Schinker. When: 6 p.m., Thursday Where: Adult Education Center at the University of Southern Mississippi-Gulf Coast - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens