Cindy West
The Gadsden Times

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.