STUDENTS TACKLE METH AWARENESS

Immeasurable value should come from the project some Paoli High
School students have undertaken to spread the word on the prevalence
and hazards of methaphetamine use.

The students are in television production classes at PHS. They are
preparing a documentary that purports to convey that meth is
dangerous, illegal and a contributor to many of the ills that society faces.

The students' project ( the subject of stories on Pages A1 and C1)
will describe the meth problem, provide related statistics and
explore steps being taken to remedy the situation. It probably won't
produce any grand revelations about meth use, but it still should
serve a valuable purpose. Making headway in the fight against drug
and alcohol abuse involves constantly pounding away on the issue, and
the work the students are doing provides another venue for driving
the message home.

Among those helping with the project is Paoli's Denny Followell. He
knows about drug abuse, and once was convicted for it. But he has
turned his life around and now serves as president of Orange County
FACT ( Facing Adolescent Challenges Together) and Substance Abuse,
coordinating classes for individuals who often are ordered by the
court to take them.

As someone who has been down the long, costly and difficult road
taken by drug abusers, Followell's voice is a good one for motivating
high school students to take whatever steps they can to keep their
peers from taking that destructive path.

Followell has a vision for what he would like to see the documentary convey.

"( I want to know) that we've been able to get the message out to
people, and to kids, about the viciousness of getting involved with
alcohol and drugs," Followell said, " and the destruction that it
causes for their lives, their education, on our society ... They're
just fighting a losing battle."

Students who are working on the documentary are getting a sense of
the steps that have been taken to curb the prevalence of clandestine
meth labs in Indiana. But, more importantly, a trip to the Indiana
Statehouse helped them understand the need for taking legislation to
the next level. That's key, now that meth labs in Indiana are less of
a problem and the importation of meth from other geographic regions
is a greater concern.

While in Indianapolis, the students met with State Rep. Eric Koch, R-
Bedford, who said his legislation last year effectively tackled the
meth lab issue. Koch also stressed the need for addressing
importation. New laws addressing that issue could most logically come
from federal legislators.

The documentary Paoli students plan to produce is one they hope to
see mass produced and sent to other parts of the state as a way of
generating awareness about meth's threats.

The interest these young people have demonstrated should provide the
kind of impetus for lawmakers at the state and federal levels to
crack down on meth importation with immediacy and resolve.

We think

Students are learning - and teaching others - about the ways to
battle meth in our communities.