What to Know: Red Ribbon Week was created in 1988 in honor of the late U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. Before this week, nine-year-olds Emily-Jean Elaine Couch and Jennifer Ann Lyon knew little about the dangers of illegal drugs. "I didn't know that some drugs could kill," said Couch, who vowed to say no if ever someone offered her illegal drugs. "I'd say no, because they make your brain crazy. They're bad for you." [continues 333 words]
A 15-year-old sophomore at Ola High School, had his first encounter with illegal drugs when he was 13 years old. Then a Clayton County middle schooler, he said he declined offers from the 19- and 20-year-olds in his neighborhood to use drugs. He and others he knows have had similar experiences, even in school. In the last couple of years both Henry and Clayton county school systems have implemented programs in their high schools to decrease experiences like his. [continues 540 words]
Although results from a 2004 national drug survey show a 9 percent decrease in illicit drug use among 12 to 17-year-olds, one Henry County Sheriff's deputy believes people should not get too lax. "It's not a major problem but ... It's an issue that we need to be concerned with," Henry County Sheriff's deputy Jimmy Spence said. Spence is one of two sheriff's deputies who visit Henry County sixth graders as part of the Junior Deputy program. Discussions of various topics each month include drug awareness, home gun safety, fire safety and alcohol abuse. [continues 1022 words]
When Henry Police Capt. Michael Gaddis was promoted last month to head the criminal investigative division, he also became the head of the narcotics division. And, he inherited a the problem of containing and stopping a growing scourge in Henry County: methamphetamine. "Meth is probably our most prevalent drug," Gaddis said. "It appears to be the drug of choice in the county." In fact, methamphetamine use in Henry County, based on amounts of the drug seized here, has almost tripled in two years. In 2002, police seized methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $357,100; in 2003 they seized $714,200 worth of the stuff; and in 2004 the estimated street worth of the seizures topped $1 million. [continues 485 words]
The sound of an approaching helicopter broke the mid-afternoon stillness. On the ground students started screaming, cheering for the chopper as it made its way over the tree line. Within moments, the helicopter was on the ground amidst a cloud of dust. Dennis Floyd, a special agent/pilot with the Drug Enforcement Administration, emerged from the drug helicopter and onto the ball field at Pleasant Grove Elementary School, making his way to a podium, where he addressed the students with an anti-drug message. [continues 507 words]
