KEEP AN EYE ON TEEN DRUG ABUSE

An important indicator of student drug use is up in Cabell County schools
this year, and school officials want parents and guardians to know.

The district had 22 high school expulsions last year for drug or alcohol
use and five at the middle school level. Already this year, the system has
seen 18 high school expulsions and four from middle schools.

Too often schools are afraid to go public with such numbers, and we commend
the leadership of the Cabell district for alerting the community to the
growing problem.

"Parents need to be aware of the problems their children are having,"
Superintendent David Roach told The Herald-Dispatch. "It's one of the few
ways we can reach them before it's too late."

One of the troubling wrinkles of the current problem is the number of cases
that involve prescription drugs that could be coming right out of the
family medicine cabinet. That's a particular problem for middle school
students.

Parents, grandparents and guardians need to make sure their medications are
out of reach and accounted for. Some of the common problems are with
pain-relievers such as OxyContin and tranquilizers such as Xanax.

A study at the National Institute on Drug Abuse also points to problems
with psychotherapeutic drugs such as Ritalin. Typically, it's not the teen
with the prescription abusing the drug, but friends who pressure them to
share the medication.

Today's teens face a complex world with difficult choices every day.

Although the advice may sound simple, experts still stress the importance
of involved parents and guardians.

Talk to your children regularly about drugs and alcohol, including the
dangers of prescription drugs, and keep up with what they are doing.