IT'S EVERYWHERE

Fight against teen drug use never ends Drug use that cost one teenager
his life and hospitalized another has brought a harsh dose of reality
to one suburban Oklahoma community.

Not so long ago, the idea of drugs invading Yukon seemed as likely as
Garth Brooks being run out of his hometown. Not anymore. The death of
Shaun Acklin and the overdose of Ethan Marburger have rattled the
community, which is now asking some serious questions about drug use
among Yukon's youth. They're the kinds of questions every parent and
every community need to be asking.

School board members are considering implementing a drug-testing
policy for students involved in extracurricular activities. The police
department is to begin sending drug-detecting dogs to school campuses
on a more regular basis.

School and community leaders also will continue looking for other ways
to address the problem of teen drug use, including educating adults.
This is important work.

School officials said 56 students were suspended last school year for
drug and alcohol incidents. While those numbers might not be
overwhelming in a school system the size of Yukon, that's still dozens
of students who are putting their lives at risk. Who knows how many
teens simply haven't been caught?

Yukon isn't the first suburb to face drug and alcohol use among its
youth, and it won't be the last. A 2003 survey of Oklahoma high school
students found nearly 10 percent of those surveyed had used
methamphetamine while smaller groups of students had experimented with
cocaine, heroin and Ecstasy.

Education and other preventive measures are important in helping young
people avoid making bad decisions that will cost them more than a
week's suspension. Parents must take an active role in their
children's lives, and communities should take advantage of every
resource available to stem drug use and consider this an opportunity
to prevent more tragedies.