Generation Rx

12/11/2007

You can forget their names, their ages or where they live.
You can forget the drugs they used, and their effects. But you can't forget the images.
Every picture was a parent's worst nightmare.


There was the graphic photo of a teenage girl vomiting. One male just a few feet away wasn't helping. He was pointing at her, posing like a hunter with his trophy buck.

There was the photo of one child's face in a urinal.

There was the teenage boy funneling three different types of hard liquor at once.

And then there were the dead-the pictures of beautiful teenagers who died because they used drugs or alcohol. One teenage boy had only taken half a pill or OxyContin. Others had consumed massive amounts of drugs or alcohol.

Some of the photos were worse than any R-rated horror flick. There were dismembered bodies, the result of an unnecessary wreck.

There were children lying in their bed, or the bed of a friend. Some might have survived the overdose if their friends had called for help. Instead, many of those friends were more concerned about cleaning up the mess, thinking a nap would take care of the problem.

And sadly, many of those kids are from Alabama. They're from Alexandria, Anniston and Florence-small towns similar to Eufaula, Clayton and Louisville in many ways.

Unfortunately, there are local teenagers who drink and use drugs. That's why Agent Mike Reese of Operation Safe Teens was in the county last week.

"Eufaula, Alabama is the prettiest city in Alabama, and it has some of the friendliest people. And it's still (affected by) drugs," Reese said.

He presented the brutally visual 90-minute program to students across the county. He visited upper-school students at Eufaula, Admiral Moorer and Lakeside.

He held two community forums in the evening. While the forums were sparsely attended-just three people attended a Wednesday event at Clayton Baptist, and only a three or four dozen attended the Thursday event at SouthPoint Church-Reese never muted his message.

"Never in history has it been so easy for a kid to get his hand on drugs," Reese told parents Thursday night. "The sad thing about this program is there's never a shortage of stories. I could do nothing but pictures and deaths across Alabama all night long."

Reese offered sobering statistics. Ninety-one percent of the teenagers in one Wiregrass town have reportedly tried alcohol at least once. The national average is 78 percent.

"Quit thinking it's going to be somebody else's kids," Reese warned. "Check up on your kids. The acceptable amount of alcohol is none."

Reese urged parents to lock up the alcohol in their homes.
"More kids die of alcohol than all of the other drugs put together," he said. "The surgeon general of this country said this year underage drinking is an epidemic."

Of course, there are other drugs. Many parents know about meth, crack cocaine and pot.

But more teenagers are now abusing over-the-counter products such as cold and cough medicine and even hand sanitizer. They're "Robo-trippin'" on Robitussin, and "skittlin'" with cold capsules.

"I could go into your house, and within five minutes I could have 100 things I could huff," Reese said.

Today's teenagers are labeled by some as "Generation Rx." Information is readily available on the Internet.

"Ask them what are kids in the schools doing," Reese said. "What are they huffing? What are they drinking?"

Ecstasy pills are often marketed to kids and pre-teens.

They sometimes have pictures of smiley faces and cartoon characters on them.

Some teenagers are unwilling victims. Reese talked about GHB-better known as the date-rape drug. It's made with floor cleaner and engine degreaser.

"There are predators out there that will put this in a beautiful girl's drink," Reese said.

And while the meth problem is not as bad here as other counties, Reese warns, "it's coming."

What effect last week's programs had is hard to gauge. Some teens laughed during the presentation-though Reese believes that occurs because they are uncomfortable with what they are presented with.

"There's nothing funny about this," he said.

Other teenagers grasped the message behind the program.

Reese mentions one Eufaula High male student who helped load his materials onto the back of his truck. The student thanked Reese and local juvenile officer Missy Welch for the program.

Dawn Loetscher of the Barbour County United Prevention System, which sponsored the program, believes it made a difference.

"This is my fifth time to watch the program and I've gotten something different out of each one," she said.

Circuit Judge Burt Smithart told audience members Thursday he wished more teens and their parents could watch the program.

"By the time a case gets to my court, I often wonder if something like this would have changed things."



http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=...id=439676&rfi=6

[Criptin]

One teenage boy had only taken half a pill or OxyContin.

So he either took a half of a pill *OR* a disclosed amount of Oxycotin causing him to die?

Alright just checking. >.<

[Reverend Tulasi]

Originally posted by Criptin@Dec 15 2007, 07:41 PM

So he either took a half of a pill *OR* a disclosed amount of Oxycotin causing him to die?

Alright just checking. >.<

I think this is a relevent and cohesive article. Since when did this news stickey turn into an outlet where people filter everything out except the pieces they find incorrect or skewed, often times distastefully and without consideration of the subject matter which in this case is harm reduction, a common denomenator of the DV itself. I don't mean any offense to you Criptin, but it's been bugging me lately.

[Criptin]

Originally posted by Reverend Tulasi+Dec 15 2007, 07:57 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Reverend Tulasi @ Dec 15 2007, 07:57 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--Criptin@Dec 15 2007, 07:41 PM

So he either took a half of a pill *OR* a disclosed amount of Oxycotin causing him to die?

Alright just checking. >.<

I think this is a relevent and cohesive article. Since when did this news stickey turn into an outlet where people filter everything out except the pieces they find incorrect or skewed, often times distastefully and without consideration of the subject matter which in this case is harm reduction, a common denomenator of the DV itself. I don't mean any offense to you Criptin, but it's been bugging me lately. [/b][/quote]
Because we choose to, so we do it. Nuff said.

[Reverend Tulasi]

Originally posted by Criptin+Dec 15 2007, 08:36 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Criptin @ Dec 15 2007, 08:36 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

I think this is a relevent and cohesive article. Since when did this news stickey turn into an outlet where people filter everything out except the pieces they find incorrect or skewed, often times distastefully and without consideration of the subject matter which in this case is harm reduction, a common denomenator of the DV itself. I don't mean any offense to you Criptin, but it's been bugging me lately.

Because we choose to, so we do it. Nuff said. [/b][/quote]
So be it.

[Criptin]

Originally posted by Reverend Tulasi+Dec 15 2007, 08:56 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Reverend Tulasi @ Dec 15 2007, 08:56 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Because we choose to, so we do it. Nuff said.

So be it. [/b][/quote]
Sorry if I offended you with this post

[Reverend Tulasi]

Originally posted by Criptin@Dec 15 2007, 09:04 PM

Sorry if I offended you with this post

You didn't, sir.

I have thick skin. A prerequisite of the DV, imo.

[Criptin]

Originally posted by Reverend Tulasi+Dec 15 2007, 11:05 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Reverend Tulasi @ Dec 15 2007, 11:05 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--Criptin@Dec 15 2007, 09:04 PM

Sorry if I offended you with this post

You didn't, sir.

I have thick skin as it is. It's a prerequisite of the DV, imo. [/b][/quote]
A good man you are. And yes its a must to be able to take shit either way if your gonna roll around here.

[rainbowatermark]

I could go into your house, and within five minutes I could have 100 things I could huff

What a stoner!

[dianne]

Originally posted by Reverend Tulasi+Dec 15 2007, 06:57 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Reverend Tulasi @ Dec 15 2007, 06:57 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--Criptin@Dec 15 2007, 07:41 PM

So he either took a half of a pill *OR* a disclosed amount of Oxycotin causing him to die?

Alright just checking. >.<

I think this is a relevent and cohesive article. Since when did this news stickey turn into an outlet where people filter everything out except the pieces they find incorrect or skewed, often times distastefully and without consideration of the subject matter which in this case is harm reduction, a common denomenator of the DV itself. I don't mean any offense to you Criptin, but it's been bugging me lately. [/b][/quote]
It may have to do with a need or desire to try to pick out anything wrong in these in the hopes of some possible discredit. Like discrediting their misinformation gives hope that someday these things won't become illegal because most kids don't take the time to do some research.

That's my guess.