SUGGESTIONS OFFERED AT DRUG ABUSE SUMMIT

As an employee of the state Department of Public Advocacy's Owensboro
office, Cindy Lyons is well aware of the troubling relationship between
substance abuse and crime.

But most of her words, directed to a panel of 13 experts as part of a
regional substance abuse forum, stemmed from her experiences as the mother
of a teenage girl.

When Lyons' daughter was caught smoking a cigarette on school grounds, the
official punishment was a brief suspension, she said. Lyons punished her
daughter, too, but believed an educational opportunity was missed for both
mother and daughter.

Lyons said she wished a tobacco education class was available for children
and parents.

"I think looking back now that would have been a good idea to have her take
a class before going back to school," Lyons said.

Lyons was one of about 140 people who gathered Tuesday at the Executive Inn
Rivermont to participate in Gov. Ernie Fletcher's Drug Control Policy
Assessment Summit. The meeting was the 10th of 16 such forums throughout
the state to explore issues of substance abuse in addition to alcohol and
tobacco concerns.

More than 35 experts were on three panels that people could address. The
three panels were on enforcement, on treatment and on prevention and education.

Feedback and suggestions were recorded and will be used to create a
statewide drug control policy.

Daviess County Commonwealth's Attorney Jay Wethington addressed a 14-member
enforcement panel, which included Daviess County Sheriff Keith Cain and
sheriff's Detective Sgt. Jim Acquisto.

Wethington said his office has been seriously hampered because of a backlog
of laboratory tests at state labs that test drugs and DNA. The problem has
plagued prosecutors throughout the state, he said.

The backlog delays results so long that a defendant facing drug charges may
be released awaiting trial, he said. The defendant is often arrested on new
charges while awaiting trial, he said.

"The biggest culprit is because our laboratory results are late,"
Wethington said. "We are not getting them soon enough."

The lab problems have prompted some prosecutors to outsource their tests of
suspected drugs to other states. One office in Kentucky recently paid
$2,000 in state funds to have a lab technician come to Kentucky and testify
that a suspected $20 rock of crack cocaine was really cocaine, Wethington said.

An effort by Fletcher's administration to ease the lab congestion since
January has helped, but many of the backlogged results for other agencies
are arriving at Wethington's office, he said.

Acquisto has attended each of the nine previous forums throughout the state
as a member of the panel of enforcement experts. He stepped away from the
panel Tuesday to speak to its members as a Daviess County resident.

More than 300 methamphetamine labs have been found in Daviess County since
1998, Acquisto said. One of every three people charged with meth-related
crimes possess a gun, he said. The county continues to battle a crack and
marijuana problem, he said.

Drug arrests in schools usually involve marijuana or prescription pills, he
said. The area needs a drug treatment facility for children, he said,
because the nearest facility is in Bowling Green.

"You think that's a stumbling block to a young 15-year-old girl to have to
be out of town the whole time? Of course it is," he said.

Lyons, who addressed the prevention and education panel, said that at least
85 percent of the clients at the Department of Public Advocacy have
substance abuse problems. The charges are either directly drug related or
include theft or forgery charges connected with drugs, she said.

Many clients have emotional and mental problems and are self-medicating
themselves with illegal drugs, she said.

James Robinson, director of communication and social services for Ohio
County Public Schools, said getting parents involved is a constant uphill
battle.

Panel member Sandra Watts said people at forums across the state have
echoed similar concerns about the difficulty of getting parents' attention.

During a break, Watts, the branch manager for education at the Alcoholic
Beverage Control, praised Owensboro's efforts to train alcohol servers.

A city ordinance passed in February requires owners, managers, servers and
sellers of alcohol to receive training. The training includes such things
as recognizing the signs of intoxication, relevant laws related to alcohol
sales, alcohol's effect on customers and strategies to intervene and
prevent underage and drunken people from drinking.

"Owensboro right now is a role model for the state with this," Watts said.

To Help

People who missed the forum but still want to participate are encouraged to
answer a questionnaire about substance abuse in the community.

The forms can be accessed at the summit's Web site at www.kydrugsummit.ky.gov.