MANY OF OUR KIDS HAVE BEEN AROUND DRUG USERS

CHEYENNE -- Fourteen percent of elementary students here say they have
been around someone who used meth.

And nearly 31 percent say they have been around someone who used an
illegal drug other than meth.

The Cheyenne-Laramie County Meth Initiative surveyed 5,223 third-
through sixth-graders last spring in Laramie County School District 1.
Eighteen of the district's 27 elementary schools took part.

The Meth Initiative teaches the effects of meth and raises awareness
of the problem. Coordinator Lisa Scholz shared survey results Monday.

The survey was done to find how much youngsters know about meth and
other illegal drugs. Almost 72 percent said they know what meth is,
and 73.4 percent have been taught its dangers.

In the survey, 80.8 percent said they have been taught the dangers of
illegal drugs like marijuana.

Scholz said she is pleased that information about the dangers of drugs
is getting out to students.

"That is excellent; it shows that we're getting the word out," she
said, commending the work of LCSD1's Safe and Drug-Free Schools program.

But there is a need for consistent drug prevention education for kids
as young as third grade, she said.

She wants a mandatory program established for these
youngsters.

Children should not wait until sixth grade to take part in the Drug
Abuse and Resistance Education, or DARE, program.

LCSD1's Safe and Drug-Free Schools provides drug prevention education
kits at all elementary schools, said Lori Moseley, its elementary
coordinator.

But teachers and principals decide how to use the information.

More principals and teachers are asking people from Safe and Drug-Free
Schools to talk about meth and drug problems with children, Moseley
said.

Such efforts are making a difference in Cheyenne, she added.