TESTING THAT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR OUR CHILDREN

There are some programs you wish never had to be put in place but, at
the same time, are glad they are available.

Such is the case with S.A.S.S.Y (Substance Abuse Screening Saves
Youth), a program spearheaded by Sampson County Schools and supported
by our local 4-H program, the Methamphetamine Task Force and
Eastpointe Behavioral Healthcare. It is designed to help parents keep
a check on children they suspect may be drug users.

The service is free, thanks to a grant, and provides drug testing
kits to each of the county's four middle schools. Those kits are
distributed to parents at their request and used in the privacy of
their own homes. Every aspect of the program is confidential and
designed as a drug prevention tool.

We are glad to see local officials taking such a proactive approach
to such a serious and, unfortunately, growing problem -- that of
young people being active participants in drug use. And we encourage
parents to take advantage of this program, not as a way to punish
your child but as a way to help them.

Parents always find it difficult to believe that their child is a
drug user and, even when all the signs are there, they try
desperately to buy the stories their youngsters give them about why
their behavior has changed, their moods are different and their
grades are slipping.

This program gives parents an avenue that allows youngsters to prove
their assertions or confirm their parents worst fears. But
confirmation is the first step to the intervention and prevention
that is needed to get our young people back on the right track before
it is too late.

As sad as it is, the realities of the society we now live in makes it
necessary for programs such as S.A.S.S.Y to be put into place. And we
should be glad they are, particularly if you are a parent.

No, it's not the kind of thing you want to use. No it's not a
feel-good type program. But it is an important program and one that
can make a huge difference in the life of a child and in the life of a family.

It is true that using these drug-testing kits can bridge a growing
gap between parents and their drug-using children. It is true that it
can be the life raft needed to save a youngster from years of use and abuse.

No one wants to believe their child has turned to drugs. But parents
should want to know that it is happening. Now they have a way to find out.

We applaud Sampson County Schools, 4-H, the Meth Task Force and
EastPointe for taking a proactive approach to a very serious problem.
The difference it can make is vital in the lives of our young people.