TEEN DRUG ARRESTS RANKED

Randall Houston, district attorney for the 19th Judicial Circuit, which
covers Elmore, Autauga and Chilton counties, displays a collection of
confiscated drug smoking pipes. He says a recent report on increased drug
arrests shows that autho rities are doing their jobs. -- Photos by Lloyd
Gallman, Advertiser

Depending on who you talk to, that Autauga County had the highest juvenile
drug arrest rate in the state in 2001 is either cause for concern about a
growing drug problem or proof that local law enforcement is on the job.

Citing data in the 2003 KIDS COUNT Data Book, officials with
Montgomery-based child advocacy group Voices for Alabama's Children said
Autauga County had the highest rate of per capita juvenile drug arrests of
Alabama's 67 counties. By comparison, Elmore County ranked 61st. Montgomery
County ranked 35th.

In 2001, the latest statistics available, Autauga County had 63 arrests of
juveniles between the ages 10 and 17 on drugs and alcohol charges, for a
rate of 1,047 per 100,000 population.

Elmore County registered 80 arrests, for a rate of 1,007.6 per 100,000
population. There were 72 arrests in Montgomery County, a rate of 280.4
arrests per 100,000 population.

JUVENILE DRUG STATS

Data relating to juvenile substance abuse arrest rate (ages 10-17) in the
14th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book includes the following numbers of
juveniles arrested for substance abuse in the tri-county area and how the
counties rank among all 67 in the state.

AUTAUGA COUNTY

Arrests 2001 (latest data available): 63 Rate 2001: 1,047.5 arrests per
100,000 population Rank 2001 (among all 67 counties): 67 ELMORE COUNTY

Arrests 2001: 80 arrests Rate 2001: 1,007.6 arrests per 100,000 population
Rank: 61 MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Arrests 2001: 72 arrests Rate 2001: 280.4 arrests per 100,000 population
Rank: 35 SOURCE: The KIDS COUNT report, Annie E. Casey Foundation

SYMPTOMS

Adolescent substance abuse signs and symptoms include the following:

SCHOOL/COMMUNITY BEHAVIOR

Sudden or gradual drop in grades and achievement levels (reasons unclear)
Skipping classes or entire day/ tardiness Disrespect/defiance toward
teachers, rules and regulations Present in classroom, but inattentive
Frequent suspensions/fights Shoplifting Delinquent behavior Difficulty
studying or working at job Denies knowledge of ownership of drug
paraphernalia Possession of alcohol or drugs at school Suspicion of under
the influence at school

PHYSICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES

Easily upset (emotional state changes rapidly) Weight changes (drastic loss
or gain) Changes in speech pattern (slurred speech) Burns on hands or
clothing Withdrawal from peers and others Very defensive Stumbling,
confusion, disorientation Mood and/or personality changes Obsession and
preoccupation with chemicals Denial, minimizing, blaming, rationalizing
Attention span shorter Blackouts Wearing clothes with drug symbols

FAMILY/COMMUNITY BEHAVIOR

Change in attitude toward rules, parents, brothers and sisters Isolating
(staying in room) Breaking curfew, sneaking out, becoming more sensitive,
many excuses for late hours Lying (blaming others for irresponsible
actions) Violence (physical and verbal) Erratic sleeping/eating habits (too
much or too little) Vagueness about company kept and where time was spent
Strange telephone calls (parties hang up or refuse to be identified) DUI's
(driving under the influence citations), unusual car accidents, extreme
wear and tear on car, traffic tickets Unreasonable resentments Suspicion of
money or alcohol missing from parents, brothers or sisters Stealing and/or
selling possessions to be hocked for money (clothing, records, gifts)
Manipulating parents, playing one against the other Seems to have money,
but no job Has job, but always needs money Value conflict such as lying,
stealing, stop going to church/ temple, family functions, meals FRIENDS AND
PEER GROUP

Change in peer group with little interest in old friends Peers have drug
user reputation Parents don't know friends, can't get names or addresses
Begins to associate with an older crowd SOURCE: Bradford Health Services

Child advocates and drug intervention professionals say the findings
indicate a growing drug problem and the report should serve as food for
thought for communities.

"We don't have numbers that can truly track juvenile substance abusers; we
can only track the arrests," said Linda Tilly, executive director of
VOICES. "We publish the data to encourage people in the communities to look
at it and ask why." But while child advocates say the findings point to
problems, local law enforcement officials take the "glass half full"
approach, contending that it just means they are doing a good job.

"What that report tells me is that we have the best arrest rate in the
state," said Randall Houston, district attorney for the 19th Judicial
Circuit, which covers Elmore, Autauga and Chilton counties. "We're doing
our job."

Autauga County Sheriff Herbie Johnson said the report shows the diligence
of officers in the Prattville Police Department and deputies of the Autauga
County Sheriff's Office.

"I consider it a compliment to law enforcement in Autauga County," Johnson
said, adding that juveniles abusing drugs and alcohol is "a universal
problem" across the nation.

"Anybody who tells you there is not a juvenile drug and alcohol problem in
his county is telling you a lie," Johnson said.

Ashley Dryden, 18, of Holtville and Krista Martin, 19, of Prattville said
they do not think the counties are drug havens but they believe substance
abuse is a problem.

"It's a huge problem," Martin said. "About 90 percent of the people I know
break the law, using alcohol or drugs. Even during the school week, I've
seen (students) out there getting trashed."

Dryden agreed. "I've seen some come to school drunk," she said.

The two teens said Ecstasy is another drug making the rounds, especially at
rave parties.

"Ecstasy is more like a body-feeling drug" that enhances the pleasure from
physical contact, Dryden said. "They call it the love drug. It's a
touchy-feely drug."

Of the whole illegal drug scene in the area, Martin said, "I think alcohol
is a bigger problem because it's easier to get."

Asked whether they think drug and alcohol use among teens is increasing or
decreasing in Autauga and Elmore counties, Martin said, "If anything, it's
getting worse."

Martin said the two counties are not unique in that respect. She believes
it is in all counties in the state, and even more so along the Gulf Coast
areas of Alabama and the Florida panhandle.

Anthony Reynolds, the Montgomery-based regional director of Bradford Health
Services, which has 15 counseling centers across the state, said juvenile
drug and alcohol use is a nationwide problem that crosses all
socio-economic lines.

"This is a Middle America drug problem," Reynolds said, explaining it is
more widespread than two decades ago. "Twenty years ago we were seeing more
fallout from the 1960s when it was mainly the rebellious,
anti-establishment kids who were doing drugs. The generation of juveniles
today grew up with drugs always being around."

Reynolds said an annual back-to-school survey conducted by The National
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University reports that
teens who abuse drugs tend to either have a lot of stress, a lot of
boredom, and/or have access to enough money to finance a drug habit.

"High-stress teens are twice as likely as low-stress teens to smoke, drink,
get drunk and use illegal drugs," Reynolds said. "Teens may feel stress
about just keeping up -- whether it's keeping up socially or educationally.
Some feel social stress from their friends and peers. Some feel stress from
the pressure they are under to make higher grades.

"What I find amazing is that they can go from just experimenting with drugs
to getting into a full-blown addiction in just a matter of months."

These handmade smoking pipes are drug paraphernalia confiscated by the
Central Alabama Drug Task Force.

Martha Ellis, executive director of PASS (Peers Are Staying Straight), a
community drug prevention coalition program in Prattville, said substance
abuse is a contributing factor to other problems such as high school
dropouts, teen pregnancy and low birthweight babies.

Ellis said that Autauga County has no bigger a drug problem than any other
Alabama county. "They're out there. It's really a universal problem," she
said. Law enforcement has helped address the problem.

"The local undercover operation in which the authorities check the sale of
alcohol to minors has really helped," she said of Prattville Police
Department's ongoing monitoring program that has seen the number of sales
to minors cut significantly. "That's one example."

Houston said efficient law enforcement in regard to juvenile substance
abuse cases in his circuit is the result of local agencies working hard at
addressing the issue. He said they include the district attorney's office,
the sheriff's departments in Elmore, Autauga, and Chilton counties, the
municipal police departments in Wetumpka, Millbrook, Tallassee, Eclectic,
Coosada, Prattville, Autaugaville and Clanton, and the Central Alabama Drug
Task Force. Houston founded the task force when he wrote a grant
application for it in 1990, securing $350,000 for the first year from the
Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

ADECA continues to fund the task force annually with grants ranging from
$150,000 to $100,000 per year, he said.

Houston said the KIDS COUNT study data is jaded, in his opinion, because
not arresting teens who are violating substance abuse laws would give a
county a better report.

"They are trying to rank juvenile substance abuse," Houston said. "But what
they are ranking is arrest data."

The report does not show how many juveniles use controlled substances,
including alcoholic beverages, rather it shows how many are arrested,
Houston said.

"In a big city like Birmingham, they have so much going on (in other crimes
such as rape, robbery and homicide) that this might be considered a low
priority" by the local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, Houston said.

"I don't think Autauga County or Elmore County are any worse than any other
counties in the state," he said. "There is nothing unique about Elmore or
Autauga counties that makes either county a drug haven."

Whether you consider the county a drug haven or not, Dryden said, drug and
alcohol use is prevalent. "It's a big party scene," she said. "They do it
(become under the influence) to get away from it all."

Martin said, "It's an acceptance thing."

Dryden said she believes some teens continue drugs or alcohol through high
school because "I think they come to like it. Then it becomes a dependency
thing."

"The bottom line is kids are going to experiment with alcohol and drugs,"
Dryden said."I think parents should be more involved in knowing what their
children are doing."