DISCUSS DRUG USE WITH CHILDREN

Last Monday, Bellaire police were called to a Noble Street home where
they found a 45-year-old Wheeling man, dead of what appears to have
been a drug overdose. "It looks like he was an addict," commented
Bellaire Police Chief Mike Kovalyk.

The next day, law enforcement officers were called to Buckeye Local
High School, at Rayland. A teacher there had caught five students
"huffing" chemicals from an aerosol can. Any questions about why the
war on drugs needs to be pursued with vigor? Any questions about why
it needs to start at home?

We hope not. Clearly, illegal drugs -- and, in some cases, misuse of
legal substances -- continue to be a serious threat to young people.

The five girls from Buckeye Local were taken to a hospital to be
checked. Police did not release information on them, but it appears
none of them suffered serious harm.

That isn't always the case in "huffing" incidents. "Huffing" involves
inhaling chemicals, often from aerosol cans. Some propellants used in
such cans can create a type of "high." But, as Yorkville Police Chief
John Morelli noted, "It's a pretty deadly thing to do."

As many as 500 Americans -- many of them young people -- died from
"huffing" chemicals during one recent four-year period. Even more
cases of teenagers who suffered brain damage have been reported.

Teenagers often can get away with "huffing" without suffering -- or
believing they have suffered -- any ill effects. Obviously, several
factors are involved. They include the substance being used and how
much of it is ingested.

But the bottom line is that "huffing" is drug abuse -- and, though it
appears to be a widespread practice, it can be exceedingly dangerous.

Most drug abusers think there's no harm in what they do. In all
likelihood, the Wheeling man found dead in Bellaire didn't believe
that what he described as "a killer hit" really was going to kill him.
And, clearly, the girls at Buckeye Local didn't see anything dangerous
in "huffing." They may well have been lucky to have been caught.

Some say that misuse of drugs, legal and illegal, is "a victimless
crime." Tell that to the family and friends of the Wheeling man found
dead in Bellaire. Tell it to the parents and friends of the five
Buckeye Local students.

On two fronts, the war on drugs needs to be pursued. First, of course,
law enforcement agencies need to continue making it a priority.

But so do parents. Whether you think your children are using drugs
improperly or not, talk to them about the issue. Be clear -- and
honest. You may well save their lives.

It is, after all, not so far from the girls' restroom at Buckeye Local
to that residence in Bellaire ...