STUDENTS SEE FACE, HEAR MESSAGE FROM FORMER HEROIN ABUSER

CLARION - "Don't make the same mistakes I made," said the young woman
in a video presentation to juniors and seniors students at North
Clarion High School .

She is an attractive girl, speaks intelligently and could be their
classmate, their next door neighbor or even their friend. The
difference is she is in a prison uniform, locked behind a cell door
for drug offenses instead of enjoying her youth.

The 19-year-old former Union High School student isn't an anonymous
face warning students about the dangers of drug abuse, she is real,
she is from Clarion County , and her story is becoming a frightening reality.

Clarion County District Attorney Mark Aaron is taking a stand, a
crusade if you will, against the use of heroin and other drugs and
taking "Janet's Story" on the road to local schools, delivering a
strong message - Don't do drugs.

"Our caseload is starting to be dominated by heroin usage," said
Aaron. Last year in Clarion County, approximately 60 people pleaded
guilty to or were convicted of manufactured delivery or possession
with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance.

Aaron said if the use continues, there will be a tremendous drain on
the community and the criminal system. "It is important for my office
to do everything we can to prosecute dealers and drug offenders,"
said Aaron, who explained heroin is different than other drugs as
heroin on the street is 98 percent pure and very addictive.

"People who get involved with heroin end up in jail, rehab or dead,"
said Aaron.

"Janet's Story" is approximately 25-minutes long and told by Janet, a
former heroin addict serving time in a state prison. The documentary
was filmed five months after Janet was arrested.

"The program is completely non-profit," said Aaron. "Janet
volunteered to do this to help people. The difference between when
she went to jail and when we made the video was dramatic. It's hard
to describe the mannerisms and demeanor of a person on heroin."

Heroin users are often extra violent, suffering from withdrawal.
Aaron said she would not have been able to do the video when she
first went to jail.

"When you look at her you wouldn't think of her as someone who is
addicted to drugs, said Aaron. "She is a pretty intelligent, attractive girl."

Produced by David Hawk, the video is shown in conjunction with "Faces
of Meth," a very real depiction of the physical affects of using
methamphetamines.

"The purpose is to give the information to prevent them from losing
their life to heroin," said Aaron.

Janet's story

Janet said her reason for making the video was simple, "So nobody
makes the same mistake I did."

At the age of 12, Janet was your typical seventh-grader, hanging out
with friends, going to dances, participated in sports and went to
swimming camps. You would never think the normal high school girl
would soon nosedive into a world of stealing and drug dealers and
finally jail.

When an 18-year-old boy asked her out, she thought she was special.
Having always looked older than her years, nobody questioned when she
went to parties, drinking and having fun.

"I drank here and there...just because everybody else was doing it,"
said Janet in the video.

Innocent enough as it was, the drinking led to experimentation with
marijuana. Janet never thought she would be a drug user.

According to Aaron, "weed" is a gateway drug, leading to use of harder drugs.

"I ended up doing everything. I used them all," said Janet.

When the marijuana wasn't doing the trick anymore, Janet turned to
pain pills, Oxycotin specifically.

"It took away all the feeling and pain and I didn't worry about
anything," said Janet.

After a year, Janet made the small step to heroin. "It (Oxycotin)
just wasn't enough," said Janet, adding, "heroin was cheaper."

Aaron explained Oxycotin is available on the street for $1 per
milligram, $80 for an 80-milligram tablet. Heroin, which is commonly
sold in "stamp bags," are typically $7 a bag in large cities but in
Clarion County sell for $30.

Janet said she wouldn't have been around drugs if she hadn't been
around the wrong people. Following her first heroin experience Janet
was so high, she was sick.

"I was puking I was so high," said Janet.

Heroin quickly became a daily habit with all her "friends" using.
None of them thought they had a problem.

"I never thought about becoming addicted to drugs, I just wanted to
get high," said Janet.

Without the daily heroin fix, Janet found she was sick, mean, violent
and felt very ill -- shivering so much she couldn't even take a shower.

"I didn't have any energy until I got another pack," said Janet and
the cycle started over again.

Janet thought she could walk away from the drug but never succeeded.
The price of addiction was getting higher and her job wasn't covering
the price so she turned to stealing. Janet, who once looked at her
friends who stole from her to buy drugs as losers, was now the one
stealing from her friends.

Eventually she just stopped going to school, making up excuses from
her mother and doctor. She was expelled four months before graduation
and does not have a high school diploma.

Janet moved in with her boyfriend of six years, both of whom were
addicted to drugs and couldn't pay their bills. More than half their
paycheck was owed to their dealer. When the dealer started giving her
attention and free drugs, she left her boyfriend and moved in with
the dealer who was seven years older than Janet. Two months later
their house was raided and both were arrested.

"It was the scariest thing I'd ever been through. It was like there
was an army in the house with guns pointed at our heads," said Janet.

Despite this experience, Janet's drug use continued as did her
relationship with her dealer. Janet tried to smuggle heroin into the
jail for him. When she attempted a second time to smuggle in the
drugs she was arrested for felony charges. She was later sent from
the Clarion County Corrections Facility to a state prison, where she
is serving two to four years.

"I shouldn't be here, I made some bad decisions," said Janet. "This
is the last place I expected to be at 19. I was very stupid. I can't
believe how stupid I was."

Janet said her family cannot believe their little girl is sitting in
jail. "They are so disappointed but they care about me and love me,"
said Janet. "They will stick with me."

Now that she is clean, Janet has a whole new perspective on life. "I
want to change my life," said Janet.

She now knows her "friends" weren't friends. "They asked me to do
heroin, they are not a friend," she said.

She is begging other youth her age to listen to her story.

"Please, don't make the same mistake I did," said Janet. "The first
fix is the beginning of a long, miserable nightmare."

Delivering the message

Aaron emphasizes to students during the program that the person in
the video is real and it could be them.

Youth are graduating high school and going out into the world and
their parents won't be there to watch over their shoulders anymore.
It's not isolated to the big cities, even if graduates stay in
Clarion County , these types of drugs are readily available.

"They need to make the decision beforehand not to engage in this type
of behavior," said Aaron. "No matter what influences surround you, it
is your decision."

According to John Maddy, assistant principal at Keystone High School
, students were quiet and reserved after the program."

"I did speak with three students and they were deeply moved by it,"
said Maddy. "They thought it was a very good program. I can tell it
had an impact on them."

These students knew the Janet in the video and were well aware of the
impact of drugs had on her.

"Everyone has heard drugs are bad, have been hearing it their whole
lives," said Maddy. "For most kids, that's effective. This is one
more avenue and if it has a positive impact on one student's life
than it is worth it."

Steve Dobransky, Redbank Valley High School principal, said the
program was very well received by students.

"It was a pretty graphic depiction of what happens with heroin and
meth use," said Dobransky.

Dobransky said his concern is students have to make these decisions
younger and younger.

Michael Drzewiecki, high school principal at Clarion-Limestone also
felt the program had a bigger impact coming straight from the
district attorney.

Drzewiecki said Aaron, a C-L graduate, has been to C-L for the last
two years with presentations on anti-drug use, both of which were
well received.

"I think it has a very positive impact on the school, as a high
school principal I really appreciate that the DA's office gets
involved in it," Drzewiecki said, adding he would like to see a
revised program presented to younger students at the elementary level.

"I think it's just one other approach that we have promoting
anti-drug use," said Drzewiecki. "There is a serious issue, not just
at C-L, it's all districts. It's a societal issue that needs to be addressed."

In the presentations to students, Aaron makes it clear that people
like Janet aren't from New York , or Miami or Los Angeles .

"They are people right here in our community," said Aaron.

At North Clarion, students not only had the opportunity to hear
Janet's story, but were face-to-face with another county resident
serving time in Clarion County .

Kayla, a 21-year-old from New Bethlehem, also shared her story with students.

Her story is similar to Janet's and like Janet hopes by telling her
story it will prevent other students from making the same mistakes.

"I did things to feel a part of the crowd, even though I knew it was
wrong," said Kayla, who described herself as a loner. "They were
having fun. I went against all my morals - it was just alcohol and pot."

On July 20, 2006 , Kayla was arrested for drug possession, at which
point she was doing 25 bags of heroin a day. She is serving a
nine-month sentence. She feels lucky to still be alive and feels
talking to students will fulfill her purpose of being alive today.

"There are people to talk to. I did not know how to deal with life,"
said Kayla. "You do not have to do drugs. If nobody tells you today
they love you, I'm here to tell you, 'I love you.'"

Aaron told students people addicted to drugs fight that addiction or
are in a rehabilitation facility for the rest of their lives.

"She's (Kayla) here so you don't have to face that," said Aaron.

Prevention is key and parents need to be aware of their children's activities.

"Parents should be looking for unexplained trips to Pittsburgh ," said Aaron.

Also look for large amounts of money and any types of erratic behavior.

"You need to investigate promptly because it isn't something that
develops over years - it's months, weeks - maybe an addiction is
already started."

Aaron emphasizes to students he isn't there as an authority figure
from the district attorney's office.

"We are tired of seeing young people ruin their lives or lose their
lives using heroin," said Aaron. "That's why we're there. If it stops
one, it's worth it."