FRUITA HIGH STUDENTS ADMIT TO DISTRIBUTING PRO-METH FLIERS

Two students from Fruita Monument High School admitted Wednesday to
distributing fliers around Grand Junction that touted the benefits of
using crystal methamphetamine. The students came forward to school
officials and were suspended, Mesa County School District 51
spokesman Jeff Kirtland said.

Officers with the Grand Junction Police Department removed hundreds
of fliers from vehicles parked at Mesa Mall and Wal-Mart on Rimrock
Avenue on Tuesday afternoon. Fliers were also placed on cars at
Fruita Monument High School and Grand Junction High School.

The fliers claimed meth use is good for weight loss, increasing
athletic ability, improving awareness and curing colds. They read,
"Meth: One man's risk is another man's benefit!" and "Trusted and
used since 1887," and "Don't let the Man melt your "Ice"!"

Police said Wednesday they considered the fliers a
hoax.

The students who distributed the fliers did not violate the law, said
spokeswoman Linda Bowman of the Grand Junction Police Department.
Bowman said the department didn't investigate the incident because
the fliers didn't include a phone number, which would indicate a
solicitation for business. And, neither of the businesses pressed
trespassing charges.

"This is a pretty foolish and abhorrent message, but it is protected
by free speech," Bowman said. "I don't know if it was a social
experiment, but it's pretty much case closed."

Bowman said police might investigate further if a flier was pushed
through a window of a vehicle, which would constitute tampering. If
the fliers were spread around town, it may be considered littering.

Sam Grady of Grand Junction said he found a flier on his vehicle at
about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. He said the fliers were placed on all the
other cars in the Wal-Mart parking lot on Rimrock Avenue.

"I thought it was a joke and it would have real statistics at the
bottom, but it was straight-up promoting it," he said. "It was very
inappropriate."

Grady said he overhead a mother launch into an explanation against
using drugs after her son plucked the flier off their car.