SPEAKER CALLS FOR PARENTS TO STEP UP

HUNTINGTON -- Milton Creagh found out in 1993 that telling kids to say
no to drugs wasn't enough.

That year, national studies showed that 77 percent of illegal drugs
were used by people in the workforce, and three-quarters of those
people worked full-time. What that means, Creagh told students,
parents and community members during four talks Friday throughout
Cabell County, is that the adults are the problem.

"Some of the kids I met today (at Cabell Midland, Huntington High and
Huntington Middle) have the biggest drug problems, and they've never
touched the stuff," Creagh said during his final message given at City
Hall on Friday night. "It's their mommy and daddy getting high."

Creagh, who has spoken to more than 250,000 kids annually for the past
20 years, gave prime examples of kids he has met who started using or
dealing drugs before they were teenagers because that's what was
taught or practiced in their homes.

"We can tell kids all day long that drugs are bad and dangerous,"
Creagh said. "But they go home and ... all the adults in their life
are using. If you want help the children in the community, help the
families in the community."

Creagh said his messages need to be heard by parents, because they are
either passing their drug or alcohol habits on to their children, or
they are too ignorant to think their son or daughter would ever get
involved.

The truth, he said, is drugs, alcohol and pills are readily available.
And if the kids aren't getting them at their own home, they're likely
available at a friend's house. Even the dozen or more teenagers in the
crowd Friday night raised their hands when asked if they knew of
someone's house where they could get away with drinking or doing drugs.

"If the kids know, the adults need to know," he said. "And maybe some
of the adults do know because it's the same house where kids got high
20 years ago."

He encouraged parents to be intrusive in their child's life and ask
who their friends are and meet their parents. He said too many parents
are clueless as to what's going on at other parents' houses or just in
denial that their kids would drink or use drugs.

Creagh also pointed out that West Virginia law has a loophole that
allows parents to purchase alcohol for their own children. Less than
four people in the entire auditorium knew that law existed, and he
said parents must be informed about those types of things and get
involved to bring about changes.

"This is stuff you can't be clueless about," Creagh said.