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]
Raven is an 80-pound, four-year-old black Labrador retriever. And he has but one toy in a sawn segment of fire hose covering a 6-inch long piece of quark. Afterall, he is a working detective. And although he doesn't bother with idle playfulness, according to his handler Ashely Marratt, "he's a cupcake." Marratt is owner of the Georgia-based franchise of Interquest Detection Canines, a nationally recognized contraband detection and drug dog services provider. Wednesday, Marratt put on a demonstration at the Clayton County Performing Arts Center, teaching students, parents, and faculty alike about the county's new Canine Detection Program. And Raven helped. [continues 302 words]
