Colorado has legalized marijuana, and I'm glad. We need to try some new approaches to drug policy in this country, and if Colorado is willing to be the guinea pig, we should be grateful. But here at home, we need to be careful that Colorado's experiment doesn't blur one very important fact. Here, there and everywhere, teens should not be smoking marijuana. Tina Clemmons is a prevention specialist for the Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. She has been hearing more and more parents dismiss concerns about their teens' drug use. [continues 546 words]
As drug warriors go, 69-year-old Suzanne Wills has been one of the most steadfast - just not on the side you might expect. And at long last, she's seeing major success. As of last week, marijuana is legal in Colorado. Washington state is next. She cheerfully predicts that other states will follow suit. "I'm optimistic," said the grandmother of seven, who lives in Far East Dallas. "The reform movement is really well organized now. We understand what works. And we have a lot of people with us." [continues 608 words]
I stopped by a head shop in East Dallas one evening last week. I wasn't in the market for drug paraphernalia but rather a philosophical discussion. Customers were few at the Puff n Stuff Smoke Shop on Columbia Avenue, so I offered my question to a couple of clerks. "Considering the violence in Mexico," I said, "wouldn't it make sense for people here to boycott drugs?" "Boycott drugs? That's stupid," one of the clerks blurted. "I don't mean to offend you, but that's really dumb. Drugs are awesome!" For the record, I wasn't offended. [continues 585 words]
Because I faintly remember being young and foolish myself, I know that for many kids, the decision to try "cheese" boils down to four cavalier little words: "Oh, what the hell?" In answer, I would invite them along for an early-morning glimpse into that hell. In the muddy light of dawn, I arrived at the West Texas Counseling & Rehabilitation Program of Dallas. Everyone simply calls it "the free methadone clinic." Heroin addicts trying to kick their habit come here daily for a dose of the synthetic opiate. Some have been coming for years. [continues 615 words]
People have asked me to run them again. And the timing suddenly seemed right to do it. So today's column is a rerun of sorts - at least photographically. I hope the astonishing photos you see will provide an opportunity to talk with your kids about the horrible abyss of drug addiction. This poor woman's face tells the story better than anything I have ever seen. Several things brought the photos to mind again. One was my recent 24-hour stay at the 24 Hour Club. [continues 603 words]
When we talk to kids about drugs, I'm afraid we don't do a very good job of giving them the full story. We never admit that there are people who dabble in drugs, enjoy them and suffer no ill effects. Sooner or later, kids discover that - and then perhaps discount everything they have been told about drugs. But on the other hand, I don't think we ever succeed in making clear just how truly, totally, utterly devastating drugs can be. [continues 500 words]
In one of the opening scenes, Jason Vranek talks about the way things started. "When I was a freshman, I knew this kid in my algebra class," he says, "and we all went over to his house, and that day I smoked pot for the first time." One of the things we don't do often enough as journalists is go back to the big stories and look at them later with the benefit of time and perspective. It's something Alan Berg sure couldn't do in his gun-and-run days as a reporter for WFAA-TV (Channel 8). There was always the next big story to cover. [continues 564 words]
Bill Meili likes to pose a question to the clients who come into his office: "Why are we really here?" The superficial answer is always obvious: legal troubles. Bill is a criminal-defense attorney who specializes in working with teens and young adults. And his clients' first answer is usually the superficial one: "Because I got arrested ... busted ... screwed ... unlucky ..." But then Bill will try to peel back the layers, asking what is behind the legal problem. "And more often than not," Bill said, "the real reason is drugs or alcohol." [continues 632 words]
Two responses stood out after the recent column on Belita Nelson. She's the Plano woman who started the Starfish Foundation to fight drug abuse - her own son's and that of every other mother's child. A fellow in Grapevine sent a letter calling the column "another example of our society's misplaced attention." "Is there anyone over 10 years of age who doesn't know that drugs are harmful and that injecting heroin into your veins will probably kill you?" Tom Wilson asked. [continues 673 words]
As long as they are considerate enough to die in small numbers, we don't seem to care too much. And young people have been very thoughtful lately. We can carry on with the illusion that the heroin scare of a while back is a thing of the past. Belita Nelson only wishes it were true. "I know of three overdose deaths in the last 10 days," she said over lunch Monday. "One in Allen. One in Plano. One in Richardson." And the deaths represent only the visible tip of the problem - the massive cancer that is drug and alcohol addiction in our communities. Belita sees what the rest of us don't. Or won't. As founder of the Starfish Foundation, she has become sort of a free-lance fighter in the war on drugs. When a strung-out kid or a frantic parent doesn't know where to turn, they often find their way to Belita. When a bureaucratic tangle or insurance snag stands in the way, Belita goes into battle. [continues 507 words]
Stephanie would like to know exactly where that line is - the one that separates her from Gov. George W. Bush. "It drives me crazy," she said. "I sit here and watch television. George Bush says he hasn't done drugs in 20 years, and they want to elect him president. I haven't done drugs in three years and can't even find a decent place to live." I agreed not to use Stephanie's last name. Rebuilding a life after drugs is precarious enough. [continues 521 words]
Like all of us, Bryon Adinoff heard the details of Mark Tuinei's death with a mixture of disappointment and sorrow and bewilderment. But more than most of us, Dr. Adinoff also felt tremendous frustration. For starters, there was no reason for the former Dallas Cowboy to die. "Almost all of these heroin deaths are completely unnecessary," the medical professor said. "Typically, there are several hours of warning signs. And we have medicines to snap somebody out of an overdose in seconds." [continues 570 words]
So there I sat, looking at all those blank faces, hoping for an answer. "Nothin'," one of the recovering drug addicts finally said. And everyone else nodded in agreement. Nope, they said, no one could have done anything to stop them from trying drugs. No one could have prevented them from going down the road of addiction. If you read Friday's column, you know I visited a support group of recovering addicts last week, searching for solutions to our drug problem. [continues 623 words]
As I took my seat among the circle of 15 men, I was jolted by the hodgepodge gathering. Black, white. Young, old. Homeboys in Nikes and good old boys in cowboy boots. A young executive type in a red pullover sat next to a rough-looking character in a torn work shirt who sat next to a Plano boy in Doc Martens and a Guess sweat shirt. I'm not sure what I expected drug addicts to look like. I certainly knew that addiction affects all sorts of people. But seeing them, sitting among them ... . [continues 615 words]
Workdays begin in a cubbyhole office in the basement of the northwest Dallas police substation. The five of them crowd in. And amid the usual cop banter, they talk about the people and places they will visit over the next eight hours. They know many of the drug dealers in their territory by name. And if not, they certainly know the houses, apartments and motels where they can be found. I'm tagging along with the Northwest Narcotics Task Force on this 3-to-11 shift because of a recent column about drug reform. The officers read that column. And they happen to have some thoughts of their own on the subject. [continues 603 words]
Take a moment to picture a drug-reform activist in your mind. Now erase that hippie-dippy image and let me introduce you to a couple of folks. Suzanne Wills is an SMU graduate and a CPA. She has three children and five grandchildren. Rodney Pirtle is a retired Highland Park school administrator, a bigwig in Rotary and a former college basketball coach. He, too, has three grown children and five grandchildren. Ms. Wills is 54. Mr Pirtle is 64. And both firmly believe that most of our drug laws ought to be thrown out. [continues 618 words]
We spend a lot of time talking about young people and drugs. But it's probably worth remembering that the danger isn't to young people alone. Don Burnham was certainly no kid. "This problem started about 10 years ago - 1990 to be exact. At least that's when I realized there was a problem," said Don's ex-wife, Marietta Phillips. Don was in his early 30s then. He and Marietta had been married about 10 years. And the family of four was the picture of success. [continues 632 words]
