FORUM TACKLES DRUG, ALCOHOL USE

Parents, high school administrators and students met Monday to discuss
problems with drugs and alcohol in the community and to share ongoing
efforts to address such issues.

In the second such forum sponsored by the La Canada Flintridge Com-munity
Prevention Council, Sheriff's Department school resource deputies offered
their observations on the presence of drugs at La Canada High School and
discussed their efforts to combat drug use.

"Do we have a drug problem? Yes," CPC Chair Will Moffitt told those in
attendance. "If it affects one child, if it affects one family, then we
have a drug problem."

Panelists at the forum, which also included Flintridge Prep Director of
Human Development Michael Roffina and LCHS students who gave testimonials
on their experiences with drinking and drug use, concluded that
communication is a major factor in keeping children away from alcohol,
marijuana, cocaine methamphetamine and other drugs.

Roffina said he is amazed by the number of parents who do not talk with
other parents about their children's activities, specifically after-school
parties where drugs or alcohol may be present.

"Where are the parties? Who's going to be there? Who's not going to be
there?" are some of the questions Roffina said parents should ask. "It's
really important to know where your kids are going to end up at the end of
the night," he said.

He implored parents to be parents first and not friends.

"Kids really do need boundaries," he said. "They need leadership from the top."

A recent survey of students in seventh, ninth and 11th grades showed that
drug use at the high school is lower than the national average, said LCHS
Vice Principal Joanne Davidson, who also sat on the panel.

The California Healthy Kids survey, a study conducted at schools across the
state, showed that 13 percent of LCHS 11th-grade students surveyed had used
marijuana four or more times in their life. Conversely, 76 percent of
11th-graders who took the survey said they had never used marijuana.
Ninety-nine percent of seventh-graders and 90 percent of ninth-graders said
they had never used marijuana. Ninety-six percent of ninth- and 11th-grade
students said they had never used cocaine.

According to Deputy Chris Deacon, LCHS students communicate with school
deputies and authorities are able to intervene before major problems arise.

The issue of parents providing alcohol to their teenage children at parties
was also raised at the forum. Again, Roffino said he is amazed by the
number of parents who don't consider the consequences of such actions.

"There are huge liability issues out there for parents who turn a blind
eye," he said.

Deacon confirmed that, saying parents can be arrested for contributing to
the delinquency of a minor and receive multiple counts of that charge based
on the number of minors involved.

"You don't want to play around with those kind of dice," he said.