SUPPORT THE MESSAGE BEING SPREAD THIS WEEK BY THE COALITION,
OTHERS

As if our coverage of continuing methamphetamine lab busts by the
Angelina County Sheriff's Office were not enough, you only need to
look at a few statistics to realize how much work we have to do in
overcoming the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

- - Tobacco is linked to an estimated 440,000 deaths per year in
America.

- - Every year, abuse of illicit drugs and alcohol contributes to the
death of more than 100,000 Americans.

- - Environmental smoke kills 53,000 non-smoking Americans yearly and is
the third-leading cause of preventable death.

This week is Red Ribbon Week across the country, and The Coalition of
Angelina County is working to spread the message that alcohol and drug
abuse come, quite often, with terrible consequences.

Really, you might think: What's the point? As much as we've talked
about the dangers of drug abuse, and as much effort as law enforcement
agencies - locally, both the sheriff's office and Lufkin Police
Department, in particular, but also our constables, game wardens and
others - are making, are we even making any headway?

From looking at the local stats, we are. According to The Coalition, a
survey conducted last year indicates that 81 percent of Angelina
County youth ages 12-18 do not drink alcohol. Among those kids who do
dabble in illegal substances, their drugs of choice are alcohol,
tobacco and marijuana; illicit drugs such as meth and cocaine are
statistically insignificant among our youth. That tells us that the
work being done by The Coalition - through Red Ribbon Week, the
Drug-Free All-Star program, the Drug-Free Business Partnership, and
other avenues - is making an impact on our kids. They're our top
target in the war on drugs. If we can teach our citizens at an early
age that drugs are bad - really bad - for you, we have a chance to nip
this thing in the bud.

Red Ribbon Week is a great way to remind all of us that alcohol and
drug abuse come with severe, negative effects, but it is particularly
important that our children get the message. If you have kids, please
do what you can to support the information they receive at school this
week. If you are an abuser of alcohol or other drugs, get help. There
are plenty of places in Angelina County that would be happy to assist
you. (The first that comes to mind is the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Council
of East Texas, which can be reached at 634-5753 or 800-445-8562. The
Coalition's phone number is 634-9308.) Whatever you do, please try not
to spread that disease to other people, especially your kids.

We will be publishing more information throughout the next five days
about Red Ribbon Week, because we consider alcohol and drug abuse to
be a huge threat to our community. Don't worry: We won't be printing
on red paper, but we do want to use a fair amount of ink to spread the
message. The Coalition has made a dent in the problem, particularly
among our youth, but it's clear that drugs continue to be a thorn in
our side.