COMMUNITIES ARE TRYING TO FIGHT THE DRUG PROBLEMS

The last year has seen area communities banding together to fight a common
enemy - drug abuse. Operation Save Teens has gone into many of those
communities to educate residents since its beginning in March 2001. The
organization is the brainchild of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and
Calhoun County Drug Task Force. "We knew we had problems with rave drugs
around Anniston," ABC Board agent Mike Reese said. "We got to looking into
it and were shocked at how prevalent these drugs were at a our schools.

We knew we had to take immediate measures.

That's how we got started." Operation Save Teens takes information programs
into schools and helps communities host town meetings so large numbers of
people can hear the message.

The group helped with a series of eight town meetings in Marshall County
last spring and is aiding another set of meetings in DeKalb County this
summer. "They have recognized that they have a problem with meth and other
drugs," Reese said of DeKalb County. "We know they've got a problem with
OxyContin." That prescription painkiller has been linked to deaths in
Gadsden and other local cities as well as nationwide. "When we go to
Birmingham and check the rave clubs, you'd be surprised at the number of
tags from Etowah, DeKalb and Jackson counties," Reese said. Reese said
Operation Save Teens' goal is to be invited into all the school systems in
the area. "We're going to devote this year to making it to all the schools
in Calhoun and Etowah counties," he said. Since its beginning in March
2001, the group has presented its program to more than 30,000 students and
others and worked 16 town meetings. Project CHANGE and the Partnership for
a Drug-Free DeKalb are bringing Operation Save Teens to that county.
Meetings already have been held in Geraldine and Crossville. Others are
scheduled for 6:30 p.m. July 15 at Collinsville High School and July 16 at
Fyffe High School. CHANGE stands for character education, healthy
attitudes, assessment, networking, guidance and evaluation. Project CHANGE
is a federally funded program that teaches drug and violence prevention in
DeKalb County schools. Other counties are working on the same issues.

The Marshall County Crystal Methamphetamine Task Force was formed in 2000,
and in March 2001 the group began holding town meetings in different areas
of the country to inform the public about the dangers of various drugs,
including crystal methamphetamine and abused OxyContin. The eight town
meetings comprised the education component of the campaign.

The next step will be decided when the task force reconvenes sometime in
July to review what's been done so far and plan its next strategy.
"Frankly, that's the hard part," Marshall County District Attorney Steve
Marshall said. Although the county already has adult and juvenile drug
courts, Marshall is interested in carrying that concept a step further into
dependency drug court. "One of the things we know about drug abuse and
addiction is that much more than a criminal problem, those are involved in
general child welfare and neglect," Marshall said. "We want to assist
parents who are addicted to drugs and during that period make sure their
children are safe." The ultimate goal of dependency drug court would be to
reunite the family once the parent's drug problem is treated. Another
pursuit is an Internet-based program that would allow investigators to
share information about drug crimes, theft and other property crimes among
law enforcement agencies. "Somebody who is addicted is likely to be forging
checks and stealing property," Marshall said. "Hopefully, this will help us
find them sooner in the process and make them candidates for drug court."
Carol Hudson of Gadsden works with Operation Save Teens, traveling to town
meetings and churches to speak about the death of her son, Anthony, from an
OxyContin overdose in December 2000. Hudson said the group has presented
information at Gadsden High School; Gaston High School; at two Attalla city
schools, Stowers Hill Elementary and Etowah Middle; as well as two churches
in Gadsden. "We have invited all the superintendents to come and see the
program, and none of them have responded," Hudson said. "I can't understand
that, especially because of the numerous (overdose) deaths we have had in
Etowah County." Hudson, a former teacher, said that some educators don't
want the public to think they have a drug problem in their schools. "My
take on this is there is not a school around that doesn't have a drug
problem," she said. "If you have young people, you have a drug problem,
whether it's one of them or 99 doing it. "I know we have a drug problem,
and I'm going to do everything I can to fight it," she said.