TEEN STUDIES DRUG-USE CLAIM

Clark County Official's Assertion Got Her Started

When Annette Knoff of Granton read that a Clark County supervisor
claimed three-fourths of his neighbors smoked marijuana, she wanted to
find out for herself whether the county had a drug problem.

The 13-year-old Knoff went to work on a school project studying the
claim by Supervisor Carl Kallberg of Owen. He specified a 2-mile
radius, so Knoff used a plat book to find about 600 qualifying
residents, which would mean about 450 marijuana smokers.

She thought this couldn't possibly be true, and her parents
agreed.

"I don't know everybody within two miles of me, but the people I
associate with, I don't see any drug use, or I'm not aware of any,"
said Annette's father, Keith Knoff, 40.

Annette did a search of police records printed in local newspapers and
found there had been three drug-related arrests in a one-month period,
which didn't support Kallberg's claim. She asked readers to write in
their thoughts on the subject, but so far hasn't heard anything.

The drug use is there, it's just sometimes well-hidden, Kallberg
said.

"It's a problem," Kallberg said. "It's kind of funny, some people use
drugs and maintain jobs and don't get in trouble, and with other
people it ruins marriages and hurts kids, like if they're doing a
'recreational' drug and not paying attention to their kids."

The Clark County Sheriff's Department arrested or cited 45 residents
for marijuana-related crimes last year, 33 in 2002 and 20 in 2001.

The growing number of arrests - more than double from 2001 to 2003 -
doesn't necessarily signal a surge in marijuana use, said Deputy Dawn
Jacobson.

"People are more aware nowadays, and things are getting reported more
than years ago," said Jacobson, formerly the county's Drug Abuse
Resistance Education officer.

Anyone can call in tips to the sheriff's department, and callers can
remain anonymous, she said.

Officers have also become more prepared through better drug
interdiction education, learning what signs to look for in those who
abuse drugs, she said.

"A lot of officers are finding things at night," she said. "They'll
find paraphernalia, like when they're arresting or stopping somebody."

The Clark County Board cut funding, about $26,000, for the DARE
program in its 2004 budget to prevent a heavy tax burden for
residents, but the program's goals are the parents' responsibility,
Kallberg said, especially if the parents are using drugs themselves.
If children witness such behavior, they'll follow suit, he said.

"They see it as a life and death thing. It's not killing us, but it
affects people in other ways that is detrimental," Kallberg said.

Officers like Jacobson may still come in contact with children in
schools, a plan the county's Law Enforcement & Emergency Management
Committee has discussed, said Supervisor Maryanne Olson, a committee
member.

"It would be more school liaison stuff, being there and talking about
safety," Jacobson said. "Trying to (talk to) younger kids."

With the experience in the DARE program, Jacobson has worked with
schools already, but has yet to decide if she'll act in the new role
proposed.