DRUG EDUCATION TASK FORCE IS GEARING UP

If you don't think drug use in DeSoto County is on the increase you
are just avoiding reality. In fact, methamphetamine, or meth, is very
much on the rise here, and it is a dangerous, illicit drug.

There is a group of community-minded people who are gearing up to
work on educating as many residents as possible about the dangers of
illicit drugs and alcohol use. The DeSoto County Drug Education Task
Force met recently to discuss goals and to begin some preliminary
planning for priorities they feel should be pursued. Their mission
statement is simple and to the point: "The mission of the DeSoto
County Drug Education Task Force is to increase community awareness
of the effects of illicit drug use."

We are pleased to see a group of citizens from all areas of DeSoto
that are concerned enough to begin to work on a plan to educate
residents about meth and its devastating effect on those who are
addicted -- and their families. The task force is chaired by DeSoto
County School Superintendent Adrian Cline. The group will focus on
reaching out to residents with the message that meth is a dangerous
and deadly drug. Its addictive use basically destroys a person over time.

If one would doubt the need for the DeSoto County Drug Education Task
Force you just have to read the results of the 2004 Youth Substance
Abuse Survey of DeSoto County students. More than 60 percent of those
students taking the survey said in their lifetime they had tried
alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. More than 36 percent of students
said they had used alcohol in the past 30 days with 18.9 percent
participating in binge drinking. Better than 14 percent smoked
cigarettes and 12.3 percent reported using marijuana or hashish.
Cocaine use was listed at 2.6 percent with inhalants at 2.3 percent
and ecstasy at 2.0 percent.

Information compiled by the task force shows that meth users will
often binge by using meth every 2-3 hours for as long as 15 days.
Death from meth can be caused by heart failure, brain damage, stroke,
meth lab fires and explosions and aggressive and violent behavior.
This is only the tip of the iceberg regarding meth and its
devastating effect on users and their families.

We salute the DeSoto County Drug Education Task Force and those
involved -- we look forward to its making progress in educating young
people about the dangers of illicit drug and alcohol use