PHELPS COUNTY ANTI-DRUG COMMITTEE TO RAISE DRUG AWARENESS

One of the most extensive anti-drug campaigns in Missouri last year
was in Phelps County. This year's effort, beginning Oct. 13, is
another major endeavor by the Phelps County Anti-drug Committee to
raise drug awareness dangers, especially among the county student
population grades six through twelve.

More than 4,858 T-shirts have been made available for students in
those grades in Newburg, Rolla and St. James school districts for
their first wear on Oct. 13. Over 500 anti-drug posters are being
distributed in the school systems and a Web site, losesomething.com
is up and running with information and resources to aid in the
campaign. Newspaper, television, and radio releases are also a major
part of this year's anti-drug work.

Methamphetamine has overtaken cocaine as the most used drug in the
United States. Missouri has actually reduced meth "incidents" but
the drug's usage remains in epidemic proportion. The drug is so
addictive that most first-time users are immediately dependent upon
it and rehabilitation is agonizingly low in its success. The
percentage of meth-related prison inmates in the Phelps County Jail
remains far more than half of total inmates on any given day.
Inmates may be in for possession, usage, distribution, or in many
cases, theft, larceny, burglary, etc., to obtain money to buy drugs.

In 2005, a 28-minute DVD was produced locally featuring local law
enforcement agencies including Sheriff Don Blankenship, Rolla Police
Chief David Pikka and Prosecuting Attorney Ken Clayton. The video
also contained statements from a Rolla mother whose son is a meth
addict, a former addict who is now working to raise drug awareness
and actively aid in rehabilitation, and an undercover law officer
who demonstrated how commonly used articles could be used to conceal
drugs. Some copies of the 2005 video are still available free of
charge at the Phelps County Prosecuting Attorney's office along with
a resource CD and anti-drug posters. Fidelity Cable ran the video
"The Misery of Meth" DVD 10 times in 2005.

A "No Thanks, No Way" T-shirt with the universal stop sign logo was
distributed to schools in 2005. This year's T-shirt shows a young
man sitting down with a prescription pill bottle and a beer can
beside him and text reading "Lose Something?" on the front,
and "Friends, Family, Grades, Dates, Job, Respect, Your Future," on
the back with a bottom line of "No thanks, No Way." The shirt also
shows the Web site address.

Home testing for drugs is readily available. One such site is
www.TestMyTeen.com and usage instructions are simple. The committee
points out that one of the advantages of having a home testing kit
is that when a student is offered drugs he or she can say, "No, I
can't. I'm tested at home." It relieves a great deal of peer pressure.

Funding for the Phelps County Anti-Drug Committee comes from Sheriff
Don Blankenship's drug interdiction efforts combined with
Prosecuting Attorney Ken Clayton's direction and the federal fund
procurements his office has obtained. The committee is composed
of Clayton, Rolla School Superintendent Dr. Jerry Giger, Newburg
Superintendent Jane Reeves, St. James Superintendent Joy Tucker, St.
James Middle School Principal Keith McCarthy, Bruce Wade of First
Baptist Church, Jamie Myers of Prevention Consultants, Jeff McKune
from Phelps County Regional Medical Center and Bob McKune.

The Phelps County Anti-Drug Committee has pointed out that anti-drug
efforts must be continual and plans for a theme for next year are
already being considered. The committee, authorized by the Phelps
County Commissioners, is directed through Prosecuting Attorney Ken
Clayton's office.