Pubdate: Sat, 17 May 2008 Source: La Canada Valley Sun (CA) Copyright: 2008 La Canada Valley Sun Contact: http://www.lacanadaonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3576 Author: Mary O'Keefe A Closer Look: SMOKING GATEWAY TO DRUG USE Part One of a Series According to the United States Department of Justice, in 2006 poll of high school seniors across the nation were asked, "On how many occasions, if any, have you used drugs or alcohol during the last 12 months?" Of those who responded, 66.5% said they used alcohol within a 12-month period and 45.3% had used within the 30 days prior to the poll. In the same study, 31.5% high school seniors had used marijuana in a 12-month period, 8.1% used stimulants like methamphetamine and 4.5% used inhalants. Several similar studies have found that although regions like urban areas may have a higher concentration of drug and alcohol use in teenagers, the problem is not exclusive to large cities. "There is drug and alcohol use in La Canada," said Sgt. Harold Chilstrom, narcotics division at Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. "There is a sense of denial in La Canada with any trouble with drugs and alcohol use," said Will Moffitt, chairman of the Community Prevention Council of La Canada. "But when you talk to individuals, they will talk about significant use in the area." advertisement This three part series will look at that dichotomy between public and private perception, and the common "we live in a bubble" analogy. The series will look at not only drug, alcohol and tobacco use in teens but what pro-active measures are being taken by the high school, sheriff station, city and community organizations and what more needs to be done. The question of parental responsibility and accountability will also be examined. In a recent survey/sting operation that was sponsored by the La Canada Youth Council with support from Glendale Adventists Hospital, sheriff's station and the prevention committee, underage children were able to purchase cigarettes in 47.1% of the La Canada establishments that sell tobacco. "Every kid knows where they can get cigarettes," Moffitt said. The operation had students from the youth council and undercover officers from Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station enter the stores and purchase the cigarettes. "The kids never tried to hide the fact that they were underage, they didn't have fake identification," Moffitt said. Although some may not find the connection between alcohol, drug abuse and cigarettes, it does exist, Moffitt said. "It really is a gateway to other addictions," he said. A 1997 study done by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that among youths 12 to 17 years of age, smokers were more than 50 times as likely as nonsmokers to use cocaine and 12 times more likely to use heroin. Moffitt said that even if they do not use the drug as a gateway to other illegal substances, the effects on the body of teenagers who smoke can be devastating. Due to this finding, the youth council and Glendale Adventists Hospital are leading the charge to have the city of La Canada add an ordinance that will help fight the selling of tobacco to minors. The proposal is expected to be presented to the city council in the next few weeks and will ask for a license fee for any establishment that sells tobacco. The establishment's management will also be asked to sign a contract assuring the city they will not sell tobacco to minors, and if they do so their license will be in jeopardy and they will face legal charges. Funds collected from the fees will be used for monitoring by law enforcement. Moffitt said this is a step that needs to be taken to protect children from taking that first wrong step. "We all know all know that tobacco is not good for our bodies. As adults we can chose to forget and abuse our bodies but it is not fair to allow our kids to do especially in their formative years," he said. Next week: Law enforcement tackles local drug use. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake