Pubdate: Mon, 02 Apr 2007
Source: Mohave Valley Daily News (AZ)
Copyright: 2007 Mohave Valley News
Contact:  http://www.mohavedailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3625
Author: Jim Seckler, The Daily News

ANTI-METH PROGRAM CALLED A SUCCESS

KINGMAN - The Mohave County supervisors heard Monday on the success 
of an anti-meth program aimed at middle school students in the county.

Brian Velarde, director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Colorado 
River, gave the board an update on MethSMART, an anti-meth program 
through the Boys and Girls Club that targets sixth-graders in 
Bullhead City, Fort Mojave, Mohave Valley, Kingman and Golden Valley schools.

So far, about 632 students have gone through, or are going through, 
the program, which focuses on the educating students on the dangers of meth.

"We're getting a positive feedback from the students," Velarde said. 
"As you can see, it is making a difference."

The six-week program deals with the effects of meth, how to resist 
the peer pressure in using the drug and also shows the signs that 
someone is using the drug. Velarde blames television and movies for 
glamorizing drug use and providing false information about using meth.

The program is also planned to take place in Lake Havasu City but 
that city does not have a Boys and Girls Club.

Dist. 1 Sup. Peter Byers chastised state legislators for not putting 
any money into fighting meth in this year's budget and asked members 
of the audience to write to their legislators.

Mohave County recently contributed about $118,000 to Maricopa County 
to be used for the Arizona Meth Project.

Velarde also showed a video of students at a Bullhead City middle 
school relating their experience of going through the program.

A Kingman middle school student also spoke telling the supervisors 
how she has seen the physical impact of meth on her mother's clients. 
Her mother is a defense attorney with the county's legal defender's office.

Noreen Frisch, director of the Boys and Girls Club in Kingman warned 
that high energy drinks can be a precursor to using meth. She also 
said many students are already affected by meth with older siblings 
or parents using the drug.

One Kingman teacher said her son was addicted to meth and she ended 
up raising her grandchild. The boy's mother, who is in prison, told 
her that more than 60 percent of prison inmates are in custody 
because their crimes are meth-related.

The Colorado River club is handling the program for Bullhead City, 
Fort Mojave and Lake Havasu City.

The Aha Macav club is handling the program in Mohave Valley and 
Kingman chapter is covering schools in Golden Valley and Kingman.

MethSMART is offering programs for children 6 to 9 years old, 
children 10 to 13 years old and teens 14 to 18 years old.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine