COUNTY BOARD EXAMINES DRUG USE

CARES Group Seeks To Deter Teenagers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Thursday, the 21 members of the Monroe
County CARES board met in the ballroom of the Fountain Square Mall,
222 W. Second St., to discuss programs to reduce alcohol and other
drug use among teenagers in Monroe County.

During three annual meetings, the group discusses programs and needs
to reduce drug use in Monroe County.

Last year, the portion of the money allotted to Monroe County amounted
to $90,000.

Craig Brenner, secretary of the CARES board, said the board has two
main roles.

The board decides whether the program fulfills a need existing in
Monroe County before it goes to the state for final approval. The
board then follows up on programs approved for funding.

These evaluations seek to fix any problems that might have come up
since the implementation of the program and to determine whether there
is still a need for the program, Lewis said.

Mary Lowery, a CARES board member, said one of the purposes for the
March meeting is to gain publicity for the program. This helps get the
word out about CARES to groups with ideas to reduce alcohol and other
drug use among teenagers in Monroe County.

During the meeting, two judges and three members of the CARES board
spoke to the group of 20 to 30 people.

Monroe Circuit Court Judge Viola Taliaferro was the first to speak.
She spoke of the reality of the problem of drug use among teenagers in
Monroe County. She told stories of success and failures for children
going through the judicial systems to emphasize the reality of the
problem.

"Quit denying that Ecstacy and other drugs are not in the Bloomington
community," she told the audience.

Taliaferro said there are three steps to curbing drug use. First,
admit there is a problem. Then, identify the problem. Finally, figure
out what steps must be taken to solve the problem.

Substance Abuse Court Judge Kenneth Todd spoke next. After being a
courtroom lawyer for eight years, he said he was surprised by the high
percentage of crimes people committed while under the influence of
drugs.

He did an unoffical survey on his own and found more than 75 percent
of the criminals he tried were under the influence of alcohol or other
drugs when the crime was committed.

After the second summer meeting in July, the CARES board makes final
recommendations to the state for programs it feels fulfill the needs
of Monroe County.

Last year, the program gave $20,000 to the Amethyst program for men
and women recovering from drug abuse. And, it bought video cameras for
squad cars to document cases of drunken driving. Money was also given
to purchase portable breath testers for use by police officers.