DRUG CONFERENCE ACTS AS A WAKE-UP CALL

Experts: Teens Are Obtaining, Using More Potent Substances

Toni Hetherington's job has only become harder in the two decades since she
began combating substance abuse.

So-called club drugs, more potent street drugs and concoctions made at home
using over-the-counter ingredients are gaining popularity, substance-abuse
experts say. And parents aren't aware of how easy it is for their kids to
get drugs, presenters told an audience of 500 during a conference in
Southfield.

"It's amazing to me how much more there is available than there was 20
years ago," said Hetherington, the community liaison for the Pathway Family
Center, a Southfield-based substance-abuse treatment center for teenagers.

Wednesday's conference -- The Dirty Dozen: 12 Drug Trends in Southeast
Michigan -- outlined the specialists' concerns. Among them are cleverly
labeled alcohol products aimed at teens, the rise of drugs made with
Internet recipes and the abuse of prescription drugs like Ritalin. The
conference was presented by the Prevention Coalition of Southeast Michigan,
or PREVCO.

Yvonne Gores, who works at Student Leadership Services Inc. in Waterford,
said she is hearing about "a lot more club drugs than there were even three
years ago." The conference, she said, helped her keep on top of which drugs
students are experimenting with and ways to discourage substance abuse.

"We have to address this as a disease," Calvin Trent, director of the
Detroit Health Department's Bureau of Substance Abuse, told the audience.
"Our greatest allies in the fight are people in recovery. We need to honor
them and recruit them."

Hetherington agreed.

Efforts aimed at preventing substance abuse can only go so far, she said,
and treatment facilities are in dire need of more funding. She said she
hopes conferences like PREVCO's will help raise awareness and bring
attention to treatment options.

For help with substance-abuse questions, contact the Michigan Resource
Center at 800-626-INFO, the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug
Information at 800-729-6686 or the Prevention Network at 800-968-4968.