FOCUS ON KIDS WHO DON'T USE

LAKELAND -- "I'd rather have my kids drink at home than somewhere else."

"He's smoking cigarettes? Well, at least it's not marijuana."

"She tried marijuana? I guess that's better than crack."

Or the slightly more defensive: "I did that stuff when I was a kid,
and I turned out OK."

Remarks such as those show a disturbing tendency among local parents
to overlook the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and even marijuana use by
teenagers, said Angie Ellison, executive director of the Drug
Prevention Resource Center.

"There's a large population of parents out there who are permissive
about gateway substance abuse (of) tobacco, alcohol and marijuana," she said.

"It's not that they don't care about their kids. They see it as the
lesser of two evils," Ellison added.

That's been one of Polk County's highest risk factors in surveys done
every year since 2000.

Another is a perception by students that parents and schools don't
care enough about them, Ellison said.

"Kids who are getting the attention are the ones who aren't doing the
right thing" is how they see it, she said.

But StandUP Polk, the Coalition for a Drug-Free Polk, wants to change
those attitudes.

At an 8 a.m. Tuesday town hall meeting in Lakeland, coalition members
plan to unveil an action plan for fighting underage drinking, smoking
and illegal drug use. This follows up on a previous town hall meeting
at which people shared their concerns about drug issues, gathered
information and launched the coalition.

"Our goal is to make Polk County drug-free in terms of illegal drug
use and underage drinking," said Ginny Wolfe, vice president of the
Drug Prevention Resource Center board and the head of StandUP Polk.

Increased education for students and adults is one of the group's
biggest accomplishments, Wolfe said. The resource center has one
full-time person doing education and is looking to add another. The
teaching will take place both at schools and in communities.

A 2006 Florida youth survey found 30 percent of underage children are
drinking. Of that 30 percent,four in 10 get their alcohol from a
parent or other adult, according to information from the resource center.

On the positive side, Polk has a strong religious base, and Ellison
said she'd like to enlist more help from faith groups.

Working with StandUP Polk and students, the resource center has a
pilot program in 10 schools, with hopes to expand its anti-drug
message to upper middle school grades and to senior high schools. It
already has programs in local elementary schools.

The new campaign works to dispel stereotypes that lead students to
think all, or most, students drink, smoke or use drugs.

"We need to stay focused on how many good kids there are who aren't
doing drugs," said Wolfe, who is community relations director for
Cornerstone Hospice.

"Kids talking to kids and other adults will make change happen
faster," Ellison said. "The kids make the most impact."