Nearly 400 people came to Arnold Elementary Thursday evening, Feb. 21st, to learn more about the drug problems in Bradley County. Officer Mike Hall, Director of the 10th Judicial Drug Task Force was the keynote speaker, informing the audience about the drug dangers that exist in our community and what is being done to address the problem. He ended with a challenge to get involved in order to help bring about change.
Following Hall’s address, a six-member panel each voiced their views of drug abuse in the area, and then took questions from the floor. The panel consisted of Dr. Linda Wells of Action Counseling, Sheriff Tim Gobble, GRAAB Youth board members Ariel Hernandez and Dara Ben-Judah, Roy Edwards, and Officer Hall.
Matt Tolbert, a professor at Cleveland State Community College, acted as facilitator of the meeting. When asked what percentage of high school students have experimented with drugs in the United States and Bradley County, his response was “44% of high school students in the United States admit to having experimented with drugs. 21% of high school students in Bradley County have admitted to using marijuana in the past 30 days! These are frightening statistics.”
When asked if the drug problem was getting better or worse, both Dr. Wells and Officer Hall agreed that it is getting worse, but mostly because of the increase in population. “Cleveland is right on I-75 which is the main pipeline between the Atlanta distribution center, and cities all the way to Detroit. We continue to make arrests, but the supply keeps coming along that pipeline”, said Hall. This also answered a question asking if the sale of marijuana should be legalized to help fund the war on drugs. Officer Hall responded “No, I don’t believe that something that is addictive and can harm your body should be legalized. Our funding comes from the drug busts we make.”
A concerned parent stated that his 15-year old had told him he could get any kind of drugs he wanted at any time at his high school, and wanted to know what could be done about it. The youth on the panel agreed with the statement, but both said that children need to be constantly educated about the dangers of drugs. Parents, grandparents, and other interested adults need to talk to children early and often. Officer Hall added “As long as your child is living in your home, you have the right to inspect their rooms. Do it, and do it often. Look for signs of drug use. The parent has to take control of the situation.”
Dr. Wells was asked what you can do to get help if you don’t have the money for rehab. Said Wells “Don’t let money stand in the way of getting help. There are a lot of service agencies out there that are available. At Action Counseling, as with other agencies, we will discuss a sliding scale of charges to get the help that is needed. I’ve watched too many families damaged or destroyed by drugs. Please seek help from someone, and don’t give up until you get the help that is needed.”
Roy Edwards was asked if the community actually accepts the fact that there is a drug problem, or do they have their “heads in the sands”, ignoring the problem. Mr. Edwards said that he felt most people realized there is a problem, but may not know the severity. “We need to keep educating the public in every way we can so people know there is a problem and what they can do to help.”
Officer Hall was asked when TN pharmacies will be able to track prescriptions across the county/district lines so multiple prescriptions for some drugs can be tracked. “It is being done now! And your pharmacist will rat on you!”
For additional information about education, recovery and support, visit the resources presented on this web site or call 423/476-1160 x109. Due to time constraints, all the questions posed to the panel were not answered. Mr. Tolbert suggested visiting the website soon to see additional questions and answers. |
