PROTECT THE COMMUNITY; DON'T HUMILIATE THEM

The community seems to be claiming that Summit County teens have drug and
alcohol problems. The police say that we are out of control and the paper
agrees.

Yes, Summit teens do drink and use illegal substances as everyone has read
about in the Summit Daily News. But I feel we are looking at our teens
because they are the worst ones and, because they live in Summit County,
they should know better.

We teach D.A.R.E in all of our elementary schools and, heck, it worked for
me until I got to high school.

Being a person who, at the age of 19, has already attended a substance
abuse program for 12 months, I have had a little closer look at what a true
drug and alcohol problem is.

Growing up in Breckenridge as a kid is hard because the towns are supposed
to be wild and exciting. After all, we are a vacation town where people
come to get wasted and go skiing the next day.

Other than going to a party on a Friday or Saturday night, what else is
there to do? Well, we could go to a movie but wait, that's what we did last
night - and it costs us $20 to pay for the movie and getting a snack and we
don't even think about bringing a date because that will cost us at least $40.

It is much cheaper and "more fun" to go out and pick up a handle of vodka
for under $15 and you and two or three of your friends are stoked to get
wasted.

As I mentioned earlier, I spent seven weeks in the wilderness of Utah at a
wilderness recovery program - and it wasn't me and my friends from Summit
who were drinking and smoking.

It was kids from the big city that had problems with drugs like cocaine,
acid, ecstasy and many more. I have never once seen people have or do
crystal meth, heroin, special K, Robotrip or crack.

But I met people who could not live without them. You have a true problem
when you beat your girlfriend because she smoked your last rock or took
your last bump of ice. We are not hearing about that. Personally, I don't
think that it does happen because we live in a small community and word
travels fast.

The reason I feel there is so much publicity on the substance abuse in
Summit County is because that is how our police departments fill their
quotas. Honestly, if there is an arrest that is reported in the paper, it
was one of three things: an underage drinking ticket, a fight or cocaine
bust at a local bar or another DUI.

They are easy arrests and to me I feel that is what the cops look for.

In conclusion, I feel we should concentrate on protecting our community
instead of humiliating the community like the paper and the Breckenridge
Police Department has done in the past few weeks to Mr. Joe Weaver.