DRUG USE DOWN AMONG TEENS

Public Schools Will Get 50,000 Ribbons To Hand Out

OCALA - Drug use among Marion County teens has been on a steady
decline the last decade and area anti-drug campaign officials say the
reason is the emergence of more state and local education agencies
that target youth.

Since 1996, the number of children under the age of 18 who have tried
alcohol at least once has decreased by one-third, from 70 percent to
54.6 percent last year. During the same period, marijuana use
declined by 30 percent and cigarette smoking by 33 percent. Since
2000, kids using hard drugs has dropped by 29 percent.

Dan Geer, Safe and Drug Free School consultant for Marion County
Public Schools, said drug use statewide started declining greatly
when former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush took office in 2000.

Bush made drug use among children a priority, one of his Big Hairy
Audacious Goals, or B-HAG, where he wanted to see drug use among
those children decline by half when he left office.

"We didn't quite make it, but drug use has declined," said Geer,
adding that community anti-drug campaigns have made a difference.

Matt Matthews, Marion County Community Council Against Drug Abuse
prevention coordinator, said his agency was created in 1990, the
second of its kind established in Florida.

"I would like to think that anti-drug campaigns are making a
difference," he said. "I do think we do make an impact on children
more than ever before."

The Community Council Against Substance Abuse, known as CCASA, will
launch its 22nd annual week-long Red Ribbon Campaign today when
numerous church youth groups in the county will hit the streets,
putting up red ribbons throughout the community.

On Sunday, more than 300 churches and synagogues have been asked to
decorate with red ribbons and to incorporate anti-drug messages into
sermons in hopes of making an impact.

The theme of this year's event is: "OUR space is drug free! Is
yours?" Safe and Drug Free Schools supplied 50,000 red ribbons, which
will be handed out at every public school on Monday.

Matthews said he believes another positive impact is the random drug
test program implemented by the School District. All students
participating in after-school sports or other extracurricular
activities must consent to random drug testing.

In three years, drug use among those students participating in
extracurricular activities also showed a 33 percent drop, from 2.2
percent in 2004-05 to 1.48 percent last year.

Matthews said Rondo's Restaurant is this year's platinum sponsor.
Less than a month ago, the former owner, Ronald "Rondo" Fernandez,
was arrested after Ocala police investigators said drugs were sold in
the State Road 200 location.

The new owner, Chris Wilson, called Matthews after finding CCASA
information at one of the restaurant locations. He later learned the
former Rondo's owner had catered some of the anti-drug abuse agency's meetings.

"He told me that they had a charity golf tournament and had some
money to donate and asked me if I knew of any underage drinking, or
anti-drug, groups to donate the money to," Matthews said. "I called
him back and told him about Red Ribbon week and he decided he wanted to help."

Matthews said Wilson donated $4,000.

"That money will help us with Red Ribbon week for three or four
years," he said.

To learn more about Red Ribbon Week, Geer can be reached at 671-6397
and Matthews can be reached at 629-8231.