STAND TOGETHER

Kids Ask Questions On Drugs, Sex And Alcohol

RENOVO - A bull session - minus the bull - was held between public
officials and students at the Bucktail Area High School Monday.

The meeting, sparked by reports of at least six drug overdoses in the
Renovo area in recent months, was sponsored by a new community group
that calls itself "A Time To Stand Together."

Students from grade school, middle school and high school gathered in
the auditorium to listen to a panel of experts answer their questions
about sex, drugs and alcohol.

The questions had been submitted anonymously by the students and were
sorted by topic before being answered by the appropriate member of the
panel.

The topics included alcohol abuse, drug abuse, HIV, AIDS, herpes, and
other sexually transmitted diseases, and legal and criminal proceedings

Among those who assisted with the panel discussion were Mike Zantopp
of Crossroads Counseling, Patti Smith of The AIDS Project, Magisterial
District Judge Frank Mills, Renovo police officer Tom Bruno, State
Police Trooper Mike Knight, District Attorney Ted McKnight, Dr. Frank
Conly and several others.

Principal Justin Levy introduced the experts, and told the students
the venue was a unique opportunity for young people to get honest
answers to their questions without fear.

Bobbie Jo Simcox, who acted as moderator, said drugs continue to be a
growing problem in the community, one that needed to be addressed in
the most serious terms.

"This is a war," she said. Reading several of the general questions,
she noted that students had offered a range of feeling and
understanding about the issues, and that this gathering was a good
place to start.

Randy Bibey, a member of Renovo Borough Council, fielded the first
question, one that has been asked in various forms in recent years of
many local public officials - Why can't young people have a place for
kids to hang out and get off the streets?

"It's your town," he replied. "Tell us what you want us to do for you
. We recognize there is a problem and we're all equally responsible.
Our fathers, sons, daughters, parents ... We're all involved in this
epidemic as either the problem or the solution .. Just because you are
kids doesn't mean you can't attend council meetings. Become involved.
Show up and talk to us."

"Drugs mirror what we already have in our bodies," Zantopp said.
"There are processes and chemicals that are enjoyable. In the
beginning, you receive an intense dealing like those natural processes
when you take drugs. But as you do, you deplete what's in the body,
because the happy juice shuts down. More and more, to become happy,
you user heavy stuff or stronger doses. Eventually, you take more and
more just to feel normal."

Given the power of drugs these days - and even marijuana has become
stronger in recent years - those who become addicted frequently face a
lifetime of jail, institutions or death.

"Look at them," Zantopp said. "Look at the people you know who are
heavily involved ... Are you happy with their decision or what they
have become? What drugs are the worst? Meth is highly addictive.
Heroin? You start any of those ... Over my entire career I've never
seen anybody who ends up just dabbling with those."

Jerri Myers, drug and alcohol program director, said more and more
illegal drugs are becoming more easily available to youngster, and
it's happening at a younger age.

Evey fielded a question about a perception. One student apparently
felt the assembly interfered with the educational process by saying
the assembly itself was educational. "It fits our purpose," he said.
"There is a problem and it's our job to educate you so you can make
informed decisions."

Clinton County Commissioner-elect Joel Long said the drug problem is
severe beyond the acknowledged immediate harm to the person using
drugs. "It increases crime," he said. "A person is willing to do
anything to get drugs . You are our future and we need you to be
active contributors to our community. That's not going to happen if
you take drugs.

Trooper Knight and Officer Bruno talked about enforcement of the law,
and said a great deal more is being done than any teen might be aware
of. Both officers said there is difficulty in enforcing the law,
because officers must follow a set of constitutional rules that govern
their behavior. Even within those confines, they said, local law
enforcement agencies work diligently to remove the drug dealers from
the streets, and have seen their share of success stories in recent
years.

Dr. Conly talked candidly about the relationships that exist within
risky behaviors, and said that drugs and alcohol frequently lead to
bad decisions about sex. Without preaching, he said that drugs can
contribute to diseases either directly via dirty needles leading to
HIV, or indirectly, when sexual conduct induced by alcohol or drugs
leads to sexually transmitted disease (STD).

McKnight talked about alcohol, which he said was the primary
contributor to crime in Clinton County and which continues to be a
bane upon society according to all statistics.

"Start at the beginning," McKnight said, and you'll find alcohol right
there among the baby steps in the progression toward higher abuse.

McKnight said 20 percent of Clinton County's eighth graders, 40
percent of its 10th graders and 55 percent of its 12 graders drink
alcohol regularly - at least one in the last 30 days.

"There are drug users and there are drug sellers," Trooper Knight
said. "It's simply a matter of supply and demand. There is a demand
here and some of those who meet that demand will be arrested. Some
won't. Behind the scenes, with many law enforcement agencies, we are
doing quite a bit of work in this area."