PARENTS CAN LEARN SIGNS OF POPULAR TEEN DRUGS

Community Meeting Thursday Will Look At Risks Of Drugs Used Here

For an hour and a half Thursday night, area law enforcement officers
will offer parents a chance to learn about the drug scene in
Huntsville and Madison County.

All it will cost, said Deborah Soule, director of the Partnership for
a Drug Free Community, Inc., is a parent's time.

The Partnership is sponsoring the free community meeting, which will
begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Lockheed Martin Auditorium, 4800
Bradford Drive, off Sparkman Drive.

The Partnership for a Drug Free Community's Law Enforcement Coalition
will talk about club drugs like GHB, Ecstasy, Ketamine, Rohypnol,
Methamphetamine, LSD and other drugs used by young people in the
Huntsville area.

Though many people think club drugs are harmless, they can cause
serious mental and physical problems or death, Soule said. That's why
the meeting was planned - to give parents a chance to find out what
kids are doing when they are out of sight.

For example, drug agents will talk about GHB, a drug which has already
been blamed in the deaths of three local young people.

GHB is a compound initially used by body builders to stimulate muscle
growth. In recent years, it has become popular with teens who attend
all-night parties called raves.