When North Side High School teacher Nita Auer began volunteering in the D.A.R.E. program 16 years ago, she never imagined it would need reviving. Despite the program's struggles, the 55-year-old Fort Wayne native has been honored as the 2006 D.A.R.E. America Educator of the Year. Seven years ago, former Fort Wayne Community Schools Superintendent Thomas Fowler-Finn discontinued D.A.R.E. in the district, citing a lack of funding. "The D.A.R.E. program is effective in educating young people about the harm done with tobacco, alcohol and violence," said Michael Ward, executive director of D.A.R.E. Indiana, which reaches 500 schools and 62,000 students across the state. "It puts police officers in a classroom with a positive environment." [continues 363 words]
Kids Who Plan To Drive To Class, Participate In After-School Activities Must Agree To Program High school and middle school students who participate in sports and other extracircular activities, as well as those who drive to school, will be subject to random drug tests this year. Ten to 15 students will be tested each week, said high school Principal Scott Olinger. Superintendent Jerry Holifield said Plainfield is the last district in Hendricks County to adopt a drug use policy. School officials said the decision to require tests is not the result of increased drug use by students. [continues 261 words]
WABASH - Law enforcement officials in Wabash County are battling an unusually high incidence of heroin use, an addiction once deemed an urban problem that experts say is being fed by trafficking from the Chicago area. The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette reported about the situation in its Sunday edition. The Wabash Plain Dealer has been reporting about the ongoing problem for at least two years. As many as 20 people have regularly traveled to Chicago, where they have bought enough heroin to supply their own consumption plus some extra to sell back home to cover their travel costs, Wabash Police Chief Charles Smith said. [continues 445 words]
Enforcement Push Might Shift From Prosecutor To Sheriff VALPARAISO | With Porter County heroin use making headlines, County Council members are wondering if they have the power to switch drug enforcement funding from the prosecutor's budget to the sheriff's. "You guys are the ones that go out and investigate," Councilman Bob Poparad said at Monday's budget hearing. "What they do is prosecute the cases you bring." Council members are unsure about whether the council has the authority to switch funding from the prosecutor's budget, which now pays the salary and administrative costs for local drug task force investigator Bob Taylor. After council attorney Dave Hollenbeck reviews the law, the council will consider the question at Thursday's budget hearing. [continues 186 words]
WABASH, Ind. - Law enforcement officials in rural Wabash County are battling an unusually high incidence of heroin use, an addiction once deemed an urban problem that experts say is being fed by trafficking from the Chicago area. As many as 20 people have regularly traveled to Chicago, where they have bought enough heroin to supply their own consumption plus some extra to sell back home to cover their travel costs, Wabash Police Chief Charles Smith told The Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne. [continues 410 words]
Real-estate agent Theodore B. Ebeyer has publicly criticized what he sees as lax drug enforcement by police. Thursday night, Greenwood Police narcotic detectives arrested Ebeyer, 51, on an allegation of aiding in dealing cocaine. Other allegations against Ebeyer include possession of cocaine and neglect of a dependant. He was being held this afternoon at the Johnson County Jail on $122,000 bail. He lives in the 1700 block of Woodcroft Court. Two police informants assisted in the probe. Greenwood Police Chief Joe Pitcher said Ebeyer began bombarding the police department with email and telephone tips about drug dealers soon after he became chief in February 2005. [continues 358 words]
There's a newcomer to Homestead High School, but he's 10 years younger than most incoming freshmen. Still, he has a beard. And he's going gray. Hunter, a 4-year-old black Lab-rador retriever, starts his first day of school Wednesday with the rest of Homestead. He's a police dog patrolling for narcotics and firearms. Homestead's Resource/Patrol Officer A.J. Pape presented the idea of full-time police dog for the school to the Southwest Allen County Schools board in March to supplement the district's No Alcohol No Drugs campaign. He has spent the last three months training with Hunter – a former hunting dog donated to the Allen County Sheriff's Department. [continues 757 words]
I'm writing about the outstanding July 22 letter from Redford Givens: "Which should be given more weight in federal funding for law enforcement -- drugs or terrorism?" Beyond the fact that our so-called war on drugs is counterproductive and a complete waste of money, what about the right of adult citizens to be left alone? We don't punish those who attempt suicide and survive. So why do we punish those who consume the wrong (politically selected) recreational drugs? I don't want my government to attempt to protect me from myself. [continues 83 words]
Husband Withdraws Guilty Plea, To Stand Trial A 28-year-old woman was sentenced to 180 days in jail for using Bibles to smuggle cocaine to her husband inside the Huntington County Jail, but a judge rejected her husband's guilty plea for the same offense. Amy Duckworth, 28, of the 700 block of North Lafontaine Street, offered a tearful apology Monday morning to Huntington Circuit Judge Pro Tem Thomas Hakes. "I wasn't thinking about my children," she said, reading from a statement. "It only took one time (getting into trouble) to learn my lesson." [continues 482 words]
Doc: Treatment Good For Business Valparaiso -- A Miller-based doctor is hoping to bring methadone treatment as well as research to Porter County, he told community members Wednesday. Dr. Alfonso Holliday focused on the science of drug addiction as a disease, as well as the trend in services, which is headed toward methadone treatment and prescribing by patients' private doctors, Holliday said. "Is methadone perfect?" Holliday asked. "No. But it supplements the body's inability to return itself to normal." Hosting the forum served Holliday's dual purpose of advocating the drug he has administered for more than two decades, and fulfilling a legal requirement to notify the public of his desire to open a treatment center in the county. [continues 189 words]
Chesterton: Pathway Family Center To Get $100,000 To Expand Here CHESTERTON -- The Community Action Drug Coalition Board of Directors voted Wednesday to partner with the Pathway Family Center in Indianapolis to bring an adolescent treatment center to Porter County. The board was unanimous in supporting the partnership with Pathway, but the vote to provide the $100,000 in seed money to get the center started was 6 to 4. CADC Vice President Dr. Mann Spittler said some board members were concerned because the coalition has only $95,000 in its bank account. Spittler said Pathway, whose board is expected to vote on the agreement today, is willing to accept smaller increments until the $100,000 is paid. The amount of those payments and the timetable are yet to be worked out. CADC is funded entirely through private donations and fundraisers and will be asking for donations to fill the final funding gap. [continues 290 words]
VALPARAISO: Forum will focus on education VALPARAISO | It has been lauded and lambasted. It has helped addicts become clean, yet been the source of addiction for countless others. But Dr. Alfonso Holliday, who has helped people battle substance abuse for years, is hoping to spread the message that methadone is an effective drug addiction treatment. In part as a requirement to notify the public of his desire to open a methadone treatment facility in Porter County, Holliday is hosting a community forum from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Valparaiso Hampton Inn, 1451 Silhavy Road. He said he hopes to educate people about the efficacy of methadone. [continues 145 words]
Chief Neil Hannon Likes Short-Term Use Of The Treatment Valparaiso -- Officials at the Porter County Adult Probation Department planned to meet today to hear about a drug that is touted as an alternative to methadone for those hoping to free themselves from heroin addiction. Porter County Adult Probation Chief Neil Hannon said he is encouraged by buprenorphine and its promise as a short-term treatment, as opposed to long-term use of methadone. Both buprenorphine and methadone are replacement drugs and both are supposed to be used as short-term treatment, said Carmen Arlt, director of chemical dependency and addiction for Porter-Starke Services Inc. [continues 107 words]
Porter County: New Effort Would Work With Adolescents Pathway Family Center isn't the only one seeking support from the Porter County Community Action Drug Coalition for a program to treat adolescents with drug and alcohol problems. At the same meeting last week at which the CADC voted to provide $100,000 in seed money for Indianapolis-based Pathway to open a center in Porter County, the coalition heard a presentation from Bob Franko, Porter-Starke Services development director, for support of a program dubbed C.R.E.A.T.E., which also would treat adolescents. C.R.E.A.T.E. stands for Community, Resources, Encouragement, Action, Teamwork and Enhance. The goal is to develop a treatment program that is based on existing, successful treatment programs in the area, and maybe tweak them into something new that will make them better. [continues 433 words]
Alcohol, Marijuana Use Continue Declines While usage of gateway drugs marijuana and cigarettes are decreasing among sixth to 12th graders, use of harder drugs is on the rise for Indiana 11th and 12th graders, according to a recent IU survey. The study also revealed increased after-school participation was the key factor in steering young adults away from drugs, alcohol and tobacco. The Indiana Prevention Resource Center released this week the 16th Annual Survey of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Use by Indiana Children and Adolescents. The study collected data from about 131,000 students in grades six to 12 in Indiana public and private schools. [continues 505 words]
Academy Focuses on Helping Students Beat Addictions Teddy Forman, 17, knows this school year will be a change, with new teachers, different classes, a fresh start. And no drugs. Not this year. Not at Hope Academy. The Fishers teenager started classes Thursday at the new charter school, which opened at the Fairbanks drug and alcohol addiction recovery center near Community Hospital North on the Northeastside. The school's goal is to offer a safe, supportive place for teenagers who fight drug and alcohol addictions. Students must pledge to stay sober to stay at the school. Only about 20 similar schools operate nationwide. [continues 489 words]
A study published by Indiana University suggests marijuana use among students in grades six through 12 has decreased, while the use of injection drugs and smokless tobacco is on the rise. Morgan County school officials say while they do not see the spiked increase in injection drugs, smokeless tobacco use has been -- and continues to be -- an issue for students. IU researchers collected data from 383 private and public schools throughout the state for the 16th annual survey of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use by Indiana children and adolescents. Some of the survey's main findings included an across-the-board decrease in marijuana use, a shift from cigarettes to smokeless tobacco and an all-time high in injection drug use among 12th graders. [continues 420 words]
Sometimes children are visual learners. That's why, when it came to teaching children about the dangers of chewing tobacco, Monrovia High School administrators took a more unusual approach last year. Mike Springer, assistant principal at Monrovia High School, said the school held an assembly featuring a guest speaker who had started chewing tobacco at the age of 12. Now, in his mid to late-40s, the man's reflection in the mirror serves as a daily reminder for his mistakes. [continues 336 words]
Our position: Adding another drug court judge is not the best fix for clogged dockets. At first glance, there are plenty of reasons why adding a judge to split the caseload of the Marion County Superior Court's drug felonies court appears to be a good idea. The drug court, after all, accounted for 37 percent of the superior court's open caseload of major felonies last year -- three times more cases than the next largest court. Each drug court judge averaged 422 open cases, more than the total caseload for Court 6. And the court has more inmates than any other awaiting trial in the Marion County Jail. [continues 356 words]
Young people are using more smokeless and pipe tobacco and more injection drugs - and their drug use is having an adverse effect on their performance in school. In addition, more 12th graders are engaged in binge drinking. Those are among the findings in the 16th Annual Survey of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Use by Indiana Children and Adolescents, conducted by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University. The 2006 results were obtained from data collected from 131,017 students in grades six through 12 in both public and private schools in Indiana. [continues 1051 words]
But State Survey Shows Smokeless Tobacco Use Up INDIANAPOLIS -- Fewer middle and high school students are drinking alcohol or using marijuana and other drugs, but more in grades 9-12 are trying smokeless and pipe tobacco, an annual survey shows. Surveys completed this spring by 131,017 public and private school students in grades 6-12 show students at all levels generally were using alcohol and marijuana less than in previous years, and students in grades 6-8 used tobacco products less, according to the survey released Monday by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University in Bloomington. [continues 363 words]
Survey Finds Record Set For Meth, Heroin The use of injected drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine and steroids is at an all-time high for high school seniors statewide, according to a survey released Monday by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center. The number of students injecting drugs has increased from 1.8 percent in 2001 to 2.2 percent in 2006. Statistics for the northeast part of Indiana, which includes Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells and Whitley counties, mirrored the statewide average. [continues 679 words]
Pipe Usage Also Rises, Researchers Discover There has been a shift from cigarette smoking toward chewing and pipe tobacco among high school students in the past year, according to a survey released Monday by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center. Reported use of cigarettes among high school students remained unchanged from a drop seen in 2005, while use of chewing tobacco and pipe smoking increased in grades 10 through 12 statewide. Ruth Gassman, executive director of the Indiana Prevention Resource Center, said she didn't know what to attribute the change to but said a lot of prevention effort has been focused solely on cigarette smoking. [continues 234 words]
A record number of high school seniors reports injecting drugs such as heroin and meth The number of Indiana high school seniors who say they have shot up heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs has hit an all-time high, according to new Indiana University findings that are backed by drug counselors. About 2.2 percent of 12th-graders surveyed by IU's Indiana Prevention Resource Center this spring admitted trying intravenous drugs, which users turn to for a more powerful high. That's an increase of more than 25 percent from a year ago, according to the 16th annual IU survey, to be released today. [continues 717 words]
Valparaiso: Forum Will Focus On Education VALPARAISO | It has been lauded and lambasted. It has helped addicts become clean, yet been the source of addiction for countless others. But Dr. Alfonso Holliday, who has helped people battle substance abuse for years, is hoping to spread the message that methadone is an effective drug addiction treatment. In part as a requirement to notify the public of his desire to open a methadone treatment facility in Porter County, Holliday is hosting a community forum from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Valparaiso Hampton Inn, 1451 Silhavy Road. He said he hopes to educate people about the efficacy of methadone. [continues 144 words]
Rate Increased By 25 Percent In One Year, According To Survey The number of Indiana high school seniors who say they have shot up heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs has hit an all-time high, according to new Indiana University findings that are backed by drug counselors. About 2.2 percent of 12th-graders surveyed by IU's Indiana Prevention Resource Center this spring admitted trying intravenous drugs, which users turn to for a more powerful high. That's an increase of more than 25 percent from a year ago, according to the 16th annual IU survey, to be released today. [continues 456 words]
CROWN POINT -- Fourteen young men and women stood on the floor of the Lake County Coroner's morgue around the pale, mangled corpse of a Saturday morning accident victim. "It stops here," investigator George Deliopoulos said after unzipping the body bag and giving his audience a view of everything, but the victim's face, which was covered with a towel. "No one close their eyes," barked Robert Moore, a Crown Point police patrolman. The captive audience is taking part in Preventing Addictive Toxic Habits (PATH), a grim effort by Crown Point City Court Judge Kent Jeffirs and Coroner David Pastrick to educate young alcohol and drug probationers about the fatal consequences they face. [continues 249 words]
With respect to your editorial, "Feds Should Keep Spending Money To Fight Drug Problem," what should be done if anti-drug programs actually increase the abuse of stronger, easier-to-conceal contraband by ever-younger users? No one reasonably suggests incarceration, asset forfeiture or armed home invasions would protect or deter cigarette smokers, so why should Americans stand for a war waged against us? Face it, drug war is crime. Jose Melendez, Communications Director, Concerned Citizens Coalition to Criminalize Prohibition , DeLand, Fla. [end]
Exactly how much more money should be invested in a long failed drug crusade? Billions of dollars have been wasted fighting drug use with no reduction in drug addiction, so how many more dollars should be put into this ruinous policy? Before drug prohibition began, no one was robbing, whoring and murdering over drugs. A legal heroin habit was cheaper than a tobacco addiction in 1912. Drug crimes (i.e. robberies, etc., to get drugs) were unheard of. Ditto for unintentional drug overdoses. Almost all of the infrequent opiate deaths before the drug crusade began were suicides. Accidental overdoses were rare. [continues 118 words]
HARTFORD CITY - A growing number of overdoses of prescription drugs including the powerful synthetic painkiller fentanyl has caught the attention of Blackford County officials. They met this week to discuss some alarming statistics, including at least nine deaths attributed to "mixed-drug intoxication" in the north-central county since 2003. Local ambulance runs for the first five months of 2006 include 30 known drug overdoses and 146 for patients having "altered levels" of consciousness. Detective Jack Beckley, in a statement issued by the Hartford City Police Department on Wednesday, noted the irony that prescription drugs are distributed by doctors "here to heal us and improve our quality of life." "It is so unfortunate that there are certain people in society that take advantage of this by intentionally deceiving medical personnel just to get more pills or patches that they can turn around and sell, which in turn creates more addicts and dealers. It is a vicious cycle," Beckley said. [continues 223 words]
HARTFORD CITY - A growing number of overdoses of prescription drugs including the powerful synthetic painkiller fentanyl has caught the attention of Blackford County officials. They met this week to discuss some alarming statistics, including at least nine deaths attributed to "mixed-drug intoxication" in the county since 2003. Local ambulance runs for the first five months of 2006 include 30 known drug overdoses and 146 for patients having "altered levels" of consciousness. Detective Jack Beckley, in a statement issued by the Hartford City Police Department on Wednesday, noted the irony that prescription drugs are distributed by doctors "here to heal us and improve our quality of life." [continues 244 words]
The Issue: Porter County Officials' Response to Drug Abuse Our opinion: For the sake of all citizens of Porter County who have been affected by illegal drugs, let that response not be continued It's easy to sum up the response from the Porter County commissioners and County Council President Dan Whitten to The Times' recent series on the county's drug crisis: Zip. Zilch. Zero. That's right. Their response is silence. Neither has responded to requests from The Times for comment. [continues 270 words]
The issue: Drug abuse Our opinion: It is essential that U.S. Department of Homeland Security money cover drugs as well as other anti-terrorism measures. The drug problem is real and harming lives Ten years ago, Lake County was identified as a high-intensity drug trafficking area. The federal government has poured money into the county since then to try to fight the spread of drug crimes in the county. But now that money is at risk as the federal government shifts its priorities from domestic social issues to fighting terrorism. Make no mistake, however. Drugs are terrorizing the populace and causing a tremendous drain on personal and public resources. Continued federal funding of anti-drug programs -- prevention, enforcement and treatment -- is essential. [continues 297 words]
David Nichols, professor of medical chemistry and molecular pharmacy, said previous research by another institution explored the administration of LSD to endstage cancer patients. Anxiety and physical pain were alleviated for a majority of the patients, and Nichols traced the relief back to a loss of the fear of death. "The interesting thing about psychedelics is that they profoundly change the way one views the world," he said. "What part of the brain is so important that it can change the way we perceive reality? That's what keeps me interested." [continues 423 words]
As a Christian in Colorado with two school-aged children, I face the same drug-related problems Indiana faces and can answer your question: "What should be done about the drug problem in Porter and LaPorte counties?" Consistently show credibility and never compromise credibility. I can do this by separating cannabis as a plant from all the serious dangerous and addictive drugs and point directly to the government and people like U.S. Rep. Mark Souder as being responsible for the drug problem because of obvious lack of credibility. [continues 87 words]
Heroin: Addicts Cross County, State Lines For Assistance For many addicts battling substance abuse, county and state lines do not exist: They simply want help wherever they can find it. This sometimes means crossing the state line and using a friend or family member's home address to get needed services, which happens often with Illinois residents seeking Indiana treatment centers, local treatment officials say. Facilities in Lake, Porter and Cook counties provide inpatient and outpatient programs for people undergoing a substance withdrawal. But often, overwhelmed resources can send patients far from home to get the support they need. [continues 289 words]
Transition Went 'Smoothly' At Porter Hospital VALPARAISO -- Near a time of heightened hospital traffic -- heroin users admitted at Porter hospital jumped 130 percent between 2002 to 2004, according to one study -- Porter decided to consolidate its detox unit. In February of last year, detox services were merged into the hospital's fourth-floor medical surgical services unit. The move, criticized by some and supported by others, was made, in part, in an effort to be more cost-effective. "From our perspective, it went smoothly," said spokeswoman Robin Carlascio. "When it was isolated, segregated by itself, sometimes you'd have one or two patients, and you'd still need to fully staff it." [continues 263 words]
HEROIN: Lake County may soon feel financial woes of Porter County unit. The funding for the Lake County Drug Task Force is 12 times that of the Porter County Drug Task Force, but those dollars are expected to be gone by 2008. Commander Zon Haralovich, who heads the Lake County group, said the problems the task forces are addressing are different. Lake County's biggest drug problems come from marijuana and cocaine, while Porter County is seeing a deadly problem with heroin and other opiates. Still, Haralovich said he is concerned about his counterpart in Porter County, Robert Taylor, who is trying to tackle the problem with scarce resources. [continues 381 words]
Heroin: County Politicians Remaining Mum On Issue. A recent series of articles in The Times on the heroin problem in Porter County sparked reaction from many readers, including elected officials pledging to request more money for the law enforcement effort. Porter County Drug Task Force Coordinator Robert Taylor said after one story showed the annual budget for his unit at just $44,000 -- compared to the Porter County Animal Shelter's at $271,561 -- he received a welcomed visit from the Porter County Prosecutor's Office. Taylor said Prosecutor Jim Douglas and Chief Deputy Prosecutor Brian Gensel came to him with a pledge to approach the Porter County Council to request more funding for the drug task force. [continues 490 words]
Response Overwhelmingly Supportive. When The Times ran its recent series on Porter County's heroin problem, a Times editorial said it was time for a wake up call. Many readers agreed, echoing the need for a call to action. The overwhelming majority of the responses were positive, with many asking how they might be able to be part of the solution. Of the handful of readers who complained, most said they were family members or friends of those who died heroin- and opiate-related deaths and were offended by the inclusion of photos of the deceased in the series. Most did not offer their names or phone numbers. [continues 763 words]
REYNOLDS -- Halfway through this year, Indiana State Police have investigated or dismantled roughly the same number of methamphetamine labs in White County as they did in all of 2005. But the dramatic rise isn't being attributed to an influx of users or because of easier access to the highly addictive drug's ingredients. "We're really more aggressive than we have been in the past -- we're not waiting until we pull someone over or we get a call that a meth lab exploded," said Trooper Jerry Holeman, the Lafayette district's full-time meth suppression specialist. "And with our meth hot line, people are calling in when they smell strange odors in the middle of the night." [continues 755 words]
The number of methamphetamine labs seized in Indiana dropped significantly in the year after the state restricted the sale of products used to make the drug. Officials say the new law had an immediate effect by making it more difficult for meth manufacturers to obtain cold and allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Lab seizures dropped about 24 percent, according to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. Indiana's law took effect July 1, 2005. In the fiscal year that followed - from July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006 - police discovered 846 labs, compared with 1,109 in the previous fiscal year. [continues 535 words]
Students Who Drive, Play Sports Or Are In Activities Can Be Tested EAST GERMANTOWN, Ind. - Of the 88 random drug tests conducted at Lincoln High School throughout the past school year, three came back positive for drugs. In his report to the Western Wayne school board Monday, Chris Franz of Sport Safe Testing Services, Inc. of Powell, Ohio, said 308 students were in the pool of students that could be randomly selected by the testing lab. Because the students are selected randomly for the urine tests, some students were tested more than once and only 74 different students were tested. [continues 102 words]
Lake County is not the only jurisdiction grappling with overcrowded jails. Throughout the nation, states facing budget shortfalls are pursuing alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders. A study conducted by the RAND Corp. found that every additional dollar invested in substance abuse treatment saves taxpayers $7.48 in societal costs. There is far more at stake than tax dollars. The drug war is not the promoter of family values some would have us believe. Children of inmates are at risk of educational failure, joblessness, addiction and delinquency. Not only do the children lose out, but society as a whole does, too. Incarcerating nonviolent drug offenders alongside hardened criminals is the equivalent of providing them with a taxpayer-funded education in anti-social behavior. [continues 81 words]
No one can isolate Porter County or LaPorte County. There is no way to shut this area off. We are all connected. Therefore, Porter and LaPorte counties' drug problem is the problem for our entire country. It can continue to spread. Yes, we are in denial. No one seems interested in the root cause. Who's getting rich by bringing these drugs into our country? It's not the little street dealers. If we stop being in denial and teach our children and adults in churches, schools and through various media, we could attack the problem. [continues 135 words]
Joe O'Brian, Munster "There just has to be a harder crackdown on it, and stop it where it starts." Beth Murzyn, Munster "There has to be a broader control, but I'm not sure what that would be." Karolyn Young, Lansing "If kids were involved in other activities, then that would help." Kathleen Hophberg, Hobart "More hands-on parenting and after-school activities. Bring morals back into schools." Anne Horlacher, South Holland "Lock the kids indoors." Doug Julian, Hobart "Education is the key to everything." [continues 209 words]
South Suburbs: Lack Of Funding Leads Some Departments To Eliminate Post A lack of funding for a national drug prevention program is one reason several local police departments no longer offer drug prevention education in schools, officials said. The DARE program, which teaches students about the dangers of drugs, is no longer a part of several local police departments. A decrease in the number of DARE programs is a concern because a lot of schools do not offer enough drug prevention information, said Gerald Ruff, DARE officer for the Steger Police Department. [continues 369 words]
Have I ever told you that an immediate family member of mine is a former heroin user? What? You didn't know this? I failed to bring it up before now, after several years of writing columns? Hmmmm, I wonder why. Oh yeah, that's right. Heroin is an illegal substance with a notorious social stigma, and having a heroin junkie in the family isn't something you casually note in the check-out line, or at family gatherings or at the workplace water cooler. [continues 338 words]
Since April 15, Deaths Tied To Heroin Reported, Police Said CHICAGO | Mayor Richard M. Daley told a new group of police academy graduates on Thursday that the worst problem they would face in their careers was the city's "drug epidemic." Drug dealers "have destroyed more lives in this country than I believe all the world wars combined," Daley said, comparing the problem to international terrorism. Daley spoke a class of 43 new officers, giving them a stiff introduction to the violence and drug-ridden streets of Chicago. [continues 132 words]
Note: Title by MAP Editor QUESTION: What should be done about the drug problem in Porter and LaPorte counties? I read your editorial on heroin use in the county. I have lived with opioid addiction my entire life, but it's been 25 years since I've done any dope, for whatever that's worth. I made it through methadone. I'm still on it -- although I once endured eight years without it -- and probably will be until I die. If you quit, all you've got is a deadly untreated addiction on your hands. Until science comes up with a cure, a real cure that doesn't depend on willpower, this will continue. [continues 198 words]
Inside Indiana
