DRUG FORUM REACHES OUT TO PARENTS

Survey finds wide use among youths

Nine out of 10 Corvallis eighth-graders last year reported that they had
tried smoking marijuana and almost the same number, 88 percent, said they
had their first drink before age 13.

One in 10 reported they had smoked a cigarette in the last month and about
one in 20 had used chewing tobacco.

These answers come from students, as reported on the confidential Healthy
Teen Study, an annual survey sponsored by the state Department of Human
Services, the Oregon Research Institute, the state Department of Education
and the Commission on Children and Families.

By 11th grade, 36 percent of students say they've drank in the last month,
17.5 percent have used marijuana, and 6.3 percent are regular smokers.
Another alarming behavior is that almost 16 percent of teens said that they
have been passengers in a car of another teen who had been drinking.

Whether the information is a true representation of young people
experimenting or using drugs and alcohol or if it's a reflection of kids
thinking it's cool to say that they take risks and use illegal substances,
the statistics indicate that children are exposed to drugs, tobacco and
alcohol at a young age.

With that information, Corvallis School District officials and community
drug and alcohol prevention specialists are hoping that parents will want to
learn more about how to talk to children about potentially risky behaviors.

The district is holding a drug awareness forum tonight at Cheldelin Middle
School, where parents can learn about the types of drugs kids are trying,
what drugs are most prevalent among teens, and what resources are available
for parents and children to combat drug use.

Kari Rieck, a Corvallis School Board member and parent, said the event was
originally planned for middle school parents, but after talking with high
school administrators, organizers decided to broaden the scope of the
discussion.

Rieck encountered some resistance from people who did not want the event to
happen, because they don't think drugs and alcohol are a problem in the
schools. But she persisted and arranged private funding to pay for the
event. She also won the support of district administration to distribute
advertisements about the forum.

At the forum, parents will have a chance to hear speakers Jim Gouveia and
Jessica Kelley of the Benton County Drug and Alcohol program and Jim Crew of
Discovery Counseling. Parents will also hear the perspective of local law
enforcement officials.

District curriculum director Dawn Tarzian said educators are aware that
students experiment with and use drugs and alcohol. She also said that many
parents do not know how prevalent it is, but not because they are doing
anything wrong.

"It's not easy for health care professionals to communicate with parents,"
Tarzian said.

The district uses information from the risk behavior survey to shape its
health curriculum, so that teachers are sharing information to help students
make healthy choices. The purpose of the forum is to bring parents together
to learn about the problem and to share strategies to keep kids safe.

"There is real power with getting together with other parents with
children," Tarzian said. "It's a safe place to ask questions."

No parent wants their child to be getting drunk or high or smoking in middle
school, but denying that kids have access to tobacco, drugs and alcohol
doesn't make the problem disappear, experts say. They suggest that if more
parents knew what their middle and high school-age children are exposed to,
they wouldn't want to stick their head in the sand.

Although most adults can remember what it was like to be a teenager and want
to do things that only grown-ups can, such as drinking and smoking, there
are new things parents have to be concerned about, particularly the age that
kids begin experimenting, and what they're using. For example, people now
use and abuse over-the-counter medications, and inhalants also are easily
accessible.

Tarzian said there are lots of indicators that show that Corvallis kids are
making good decisions. Almost as many who have experimented with drugs and
alcohol report on the Healthy Teen Study that they do three to four hours of
homework a week, work and do chores, and earn A and B grades in school.

"There's such great hope in our community," Tarzian said. "I have good
feelings about our families."

Parent and school involvement in a young person's life are two of the
strongest indicators of a child's success in avoiding risky behaviors,
Tarzian said. And the results of the survey are too significant to ignore.

"This is what our kids tell us," she said. "As a parent, you ought to be
talking to your kids about it."