PICKENS STUDENTS BELOW STATE AVERAGE IN MARIJUANA USAGE SURVEY

PICKENS - Although a recent county survey showed Pickens County school
students to be below the state in marijuana usage in most areas, the
prevention director of the county's Behavioral Health Services said they
are taking steps to reduce those numbers even further.

A recent county survey, the first conducted among Pickens County school
students from the sixth-through 12th-grade since 1993, reported that 11
percent of students had smoked marijuana within the last 30 days compared
to 12.3 statewide; 42 percent of 12th-grade students had smoked marijuana
at some point in the past, slightly below the state average of 42.9
percent; and 14.8 percent of Pickens County students reported driving after
using drugs - slightly higher than the state average of 14.1 percent.

"Looking at all drug and alcohol use, Pickens County is in great shape as
compared to the state," said Curtis Reese, prevention director for
behavioral health services of Pickens County. "I think that agencies like
ours provide a tremendous service and the school district, and other
agencies, are tremendous allies in working together. We've got a pretty
good referral system where schools and the court system refers students to us."

Behavioral Health officials say there are several common myths about
marijuana. One myth says marijuana is safe when, in fact, it is harmful to
young bodies and minds that are still developing and also affects the
brain. It can also impair mental health, leading to increased depression
and anxiety. In fact, more teenagers enter drug treatment for marijuana
than all other illicit drugs combined.

Reese said another myth is that teenagers using marijuana are from the
lower class segment of society.

"It's not the lower class students who are the majority users of drugs but
the middle class (students) who can afford to buy it," he said.

Although pointing out that Pickens County has fared well in comparison to
the rest of the state, Reese said efforts must continue in reducing the
number of students using drugs. He said there are a number of programs that
his agency is doing to address the issue.

"We go in and do drug lessons with students in all classes and do teacher
in-service, where we do risk and protective factors for teachers to
demonstrate to students who are high-risk," said Reese. "We talk about the
things we can do to protect students."

The programs, according to Reese, are presented at the middle school level
because students can still be effectively reached concerning the dangers of
drugs.

"If you want make prevention effective for the high school, you must begin
at or before the middle school level," he said, adding that the agency is
offering 'Project Alert' to students of that age. "It is considered too
late to begin at the high school level." Another program being used to
combat the problem is "LifeForce,' which brings small teams of students
from each high school together to "work on finding solutions to these
problems."

"They work as a drug and alcohol agency on writing specific action plans to
carry it out," said Reese.

Reese said his agency works to change the availability of drugs and alcohol
by making alcohol buys to determine how much is sold as well as action
plans to raise public awareness of marijuana.

While Reese admits that statistics are necessary to obtain an idea on the
amount of marijuana and other drug usage in Pickens County, he said there
is a tendency to focus too much on the negative rather than looking at the
positive things that are happening.

"A lot of students in the county won't try anything," he said. "They pay
attention to their future in sports, school and things of that nature."

Reese said another difference in the state's drug statistics involves
factors that may influence a student to use or not to use drugs.

"Statewide, parents are overwhelmingly the number one factor in a student's
decision to use or not to use drugs," said Reese. "However, in Pickens
County, religion is slightly higher than parental influence."

For additional information, contact Behavioral Health Services of Pickens
County at 898-5571 or atodfree@bellsouth.net. In addition, information on
marijuana and tips on things to say and do to keep a child drug-free can be
obtained by visiting www.theantidrug.com - the parent Web site of the
National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.