Sparta School District gets tougher on drugs

Stricter policies and pro-active prevention programs send strong message Sparta — Dangerous influences may appear in even the most pleasant suburban towns, including those, like Sparta, that have been considered safe havens for families. No community is completely immune. Lately, rumors have been swirling about a drug problem in and around Sparta. According to Becky Carlson, director of Prevention for the Center for Prevention and Counseling and coordinator of the Sussex County Coalition for Healthy and Safe Families, the increase in drug use is in the county as a whole. Carlson made a presentation at the Board of Education meeting on March 12 and outlined some facts about drug use among young people. Besides marijuana, cocaine, Ecstasy, and even heroin, she discussed a disturbing trend toward unconventional approaches to getting high, which involve over-the-counter cold medications and common products used as inhalants. She also mentioned a new and highly dangerous activity in which teens raid their parents’ medicine cabinets for prescription drugs and even steal their siblings’ ADHD medications. They take these to gatherings, known as “bowling parties,” in which the drugs are placed in a large bowl for participants to share. The dangers of this cannot be overemphasized, Carlson explained, because young people may have no idea what they’re taking. Overdoses and deaths from this practice, and even from drinking too much cough syrup, have occurred among young people. Carlson added that alcohol is still the most abused drug among young people, with binge drinking a particularly dangerous trend. In light of the arrest last month of a Sparta High School student caught selling heroin in the parking lot, officials are taking a more pro-active approach to drug awareness and prevention. During public participation at the last board meeting, resident Tom Nuttle asked, “Do we have a drug problem at Sparta High School?” Superintendent Dr. Thomas Morton responded, “Not per se. Sparta (as a town) has a problem because teenagers live here and they experiment.” He added, “Some kids use drugs.” Nuttle asked how the school deals when someone is caught. Morton replied, “We move aggressively on any person involved, and if we confirm (drugs), we bring in the police. We prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.” The surprise drug-sweep of Sparta High School last week is an example of the methods the district is employing. Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Development, Dr. Kathleen Monks, said revisions to drug policies would be sent home with students. Voluntary drug testing is being discussed and could be implemented by September 2007. She added testing would be mandatory for students who want parking permits. Monday night at the high school, Dr. Stephen Dewey of the Brookhaven National Laboratory presented “Your Brain On Drugs.” Dewey produced compelling evidence of the effect of various drugs on the brain, which can now be detected by using PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans. This nuclear medicine technology provides a three-dimensional map of functional brain processes. Whereas the warning that drug and alcohol abuse can kill brain cells is not new, Dewey’s evidence clarifies which parts of the brain are affected and proves how dramatic and permanent these effects are. For example, marijuana has long been considered non-addictive and the least dangerous of the popular drugs. Dewey says people can become addicted to marijuana and that use of the drug permanently alters the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that helps to assess relevance and meaning, and loss of it can greatly impair judgment. Dewey showed evidence that cocaine use permanently destroys dopamine receptors in the brain and these never regenerate. With loss of dopamine, a person loses the ability to feel pleasure. Dewey said, “The more you use, the more you lose.” Cocaine use causes changes in behavior because it affects the frontal lobe of the brain and chronic users will have the characteristics of someone who has had his personality permanently altered by a lobotomy. Ecstasy kills serotonin cells in the brain, Dewey explained. He said that the number one cause of depression in high school students is abuse of Ecstasy, which cannot be treated because of the permanent loss of serotonin. The most frightening fact presented by Dewey was that methamphetamine is becoming more prevalent because it is easy to make out of accessible over-the-counter medicines. The high from meth is also more intense and long-lasting. But Dewey said, “Methamphetamine is the most addictive drug we have ever seen.” He said that users become addicted to meth after just one use. The effect of the drug on the brain is exactly like the effect of Parkinson’s disease and over time it will produce the same physical manifestations. Principal Richard Lio said that Dewey would make the same presentation for high school juniors and seniors on Tuesday. Lio, who has been involved in a two-year study of drug and alcohol testing policies at high schools across the state, will discuss how the most effective of these procedures might be implemented here at the April 16 board meeting. Jim McCormack, parent and substitute teacher, said the authorities should do everything possible to discover the source of drugs. He said, “The only way to kill a snake is to cut off its head.” He asked, “Some of these kids may be victims and we shouldn’t so much criminalize them as rehabilitate them.” Parent and community activist, Kevin Pollison, commented: “Schools, churches, and athletic groups play a role in steering kids in the right direction when it comes to drug and alcohol use. However, parents must foster an open and honest dialog with their children.” Becky Carlson said in a press release that, according to a recent study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, teenagers in families that communicate regularly have a lower risk of abusing alcohol and using marijuana. She added, “A family environment of communication and activities involve the whole family, supports teenagers and helps protect them from future alcohol and drug abuse.” Carlson’s organization will host a program called, Project Alert: Helping our Kids Survive Their Most At-Risk Years, at the Lake Mohawk Country Club on Wednesday, April 18 from 7 to 9 p.m., with the theme, “What you don’t know could hurt your kids!” Carlson said the goal of the event is to educate parents about what to look for. A youth who is currently in recovery will also speak about the experience of drugs and rehabilitation.