DRUG MEETING SET THURSDAY

Long Beach Tackles Youths' Problem

LONG BEACH -Community leaders and parents will gather Thursday night to
talk about the drug problem among the city's youths and what can be done
about it.

This is the second such meeting in a year, and organizers hope to develop
programs in city schools and the community to keep young people away from
drugs.

"I think it's a mixed bag," said Fred Walker, a member of the drug task
force and an organizer of both meetings. "I think we've brought awareness
to the problem. Unfortunately, we've had several young people die from
drugs since last year, so we still have some work to do."

At the meeting Thursday, parents will be asked to sign a pledge that they
won't allow alcohol or other illicit drugs to be served to minors in their
home or on their property.

"Research shows that the younger a person drinks, the more likely they are
to develop a substance-abuse problem," Walker said.

Victoria Magers, a member of the task force and a guidance counselor at
Long Beach Middle School, helped develop the pledge.

"It's committee members and parents taking a stand on protecting youth
against drugs," she said.

The task force received the results of a confidential Internet drug survey
taken recently by Long Beach students. Those results will be released at
Thursday's meeting.

"The good news there is that the results look better," Walker said. "The
bad news is that we still have a problem."

Last year's results showed that marijuana use increased among
eighth-graders and 10th-graders and that alcohol use increased among
sixth-graders.

Walker said that task force members have met with city leaders in the past
year to talk about the problem and possible solutions.

"I think what our leaders need to hear from the community is that we want
them to take the problem seriously," Walker said.

Drug Task Force

What: Long Beach community members will hold a meeting to discuss the drug
problem among young people in the city. Speakers include School
Superintendent Charles Lyle and Police Chief Harley Schinker.

When: 6 p.m., Thursday

Where: Adult Education Center at the University of Southern
Mississippi-Gulf Coast