cannabisnews.com: Kids & Drugs Kids & Drugs Posted by FoM on February 26, 2001 at 08:04:27 PT By Becky Waldrop, Mid-Valley Sunday Source: Mid-Valley Sunday To have a child tested for drugs isn't an easy decision, but Pat Vorderstrasse said it was out of love that she had her 15-year-old son, Trevor tested last year. The Lebanon woman had noticed warning signs for several months that something was wrong with her only child."His grades dropped dramatically. He was belligerent. He was spending time away from home without permission," Vorderstrasse said. Then one night she'd had enough."He finally came in one evening, and he was very out of it, like he was drunk," Vorderstrasse said. "So I called the hospital and asked if they did drug tests. I took him right down there and had him tested."The results confirmed her suspicions. Trevor was using drugs. Vorderstrasse wanted to get her son help and found drug counseling at the Linn County Health Department. A counselor recommended residential drug treatment and arranged to have him go to an area facility. But Trevor refused to sign himself in. Oregon law protects the rights of drug addicts to refuse treatment unless it's court-ordered, including children under the age of 18. Because he hadn't broken any laws yet, he didn't have to stay.Since then, Trevor's been arrested twice for being a minor in possession of a controlled substance and other violations, including an assault charge filed by his mom. He spent three days in the intensive care unit of a hospital last fall after a drug overdose, but his mother can't convince him to go to treatment. Trevor lives at home, but Vorderstrasse said she can't give him the help he needs."He's in denial. I understand that kids have to hit bottom before they get help, but he almost died," Vorderstrasse said. "I am personally not willing to take the risk. I'm willing to pay for treatment. I look at this as being a health issue. This is not some social disorder. There's nothing that prepares you for this."It took a more than a year, but Friday, Trevor finally agreed to undergo treatment. He made the decision after he had to go to court on a contempt charge for not following a judge's order to attend drug support meetings. Trevor isn't different from many kids his age who've experimented with drugs and alcohol. Kids aren't necessarily doing more drugs these days. In fact, statistics show the use of illicit drugs has decreased in the last decade, but officials say drug use is still a major problem. What's more, as Vorderstrasse found out, despite a patchwork of agencies and other groups, sometimes help is seemingly impossible to find.Children's advocates warn drug use can lead to violence, crime and other problems at home and school, but their message is often undermined by popular culture.Many people have tuned out the anti-drug propaganda and turned up the volume on a new campaign - instead of the war on drugs, they've launched the fight to end the war on drugs.Kids and Drugs:George Baskerville works as an alcohol and drug counselor at the Benton County Health Department in Corvallis. He deals with kids in middle and high school and was one of many counselors who spoke to students after the death of a Corvallis teen from drinking. Tamara Wardles, 14, a student at Western View Middle School, died of acute alcohol poisoning Feb. 10.Investigators said two adults gave Tamara and other teens alcohol at a party in a southeast Corvallis apartment the night of her death.On Friday, a Benton County grand jury indicted two women and a teen-ager on felony charges in connection with Tamara's death. The grand jury alleged Teresa Bettes, and Lonna Capaci, both 37, and Tristan DeMers, 17, were responsible for the alcohol-induced death of the teen. The three defendants will be arraigned in court Monday. Prior to Tamara's death, Baskerville said many people didn't know that a person could die from drinking. The tragedy stirred a new interest in talking to kids about the dangers of drugs."Alcohol is a drug," Baskerville said. "Alcohol and tobacco are so ubiquitous the way they're depicted in films. The alcohol industry spends billions of dollars to convince you to have a good time. Those are powerful messages."Alcohol and drugs are not difficult for kids to get their hands on. In many cases, prevention strategies taught by teachers are ignored. "There are parents that say, `I don't want my child out there drinking and driving. I'd much rather (he or she) drink at home.' The rationalization is that if you allow kids to drink at home, it isn't as bad. One of the prevention strategies is to be clear about expectations. That's a deterrent," said Baskerville.A day before she drank herself to death, Tamara and other eighth-graders at Western View watched a video about the dangers of drinking. "We need to change the culture - that intoxication is not a good thing," Baskerville said.As for marijuana or ecstasy, kids don't seem to connect that using these drugs could be dangerous. Drug and alcohol use causes more severe brain damage in kids, he said. The downside is some kids don't listen to what he says."Early onset of any substance use doubles your chances of developing a problem," Baskerville said. "It's like Alzheimer's disease, it shrinks the brain. Alcohol, tobacco, marijuana - these are all toxins - but scare tactics don't work."Ending Addiction:When voters passed Measure 3, Oregon's Property Protection Act in November, they sent a message that went beyond property rights. The initiative amended the state constitution and put a stop to police seizing people's property until a person is convicted. Most seized property came from crimes related to the manufacturing or selling of drugs. Proceeds from the sale of property seized during drug busts almost entirely funded police's anti-drug teams.Measure 3 also dictated that three-fourths of the profits made from property seized after a conviction was to go to drug treatment and education, not narcotics squads such as VALIANT, or the Valley Interagency Narcotics Team. Measure 3 was backed by national figures associated with the drug legalization movement. George Soros, Peter Lewis and John Sperling contributed more than $250,000 to the campaign, according to contribution and expenditure reports.Because wording on the ballot described Measure 3 as a property rights protection act, it's not clear whether people knew they were voting to limit the authority of narcotic agencies. Regardless of voter intent, the measure passed with 67 percent approval.The passage of Oregon's forfeiture reform law was among several success stories in Western states for the people trying to end the war on drugs. Utah voters passed a similar proposal that restricted government seizures of drug offenders' property. Colorado and Nevada joined Oregon and other states to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana. In California, voters passed an initiative that would send first- and second-time drug offenders to treatment programs instead of jail.For 13 years, Monty Meyer has been a member of Narcotics Anonymous in Albany, an organization that helps people deal with drugs. Meyer said he's opposed to legalizing drugs."People are tired of drug addicts and alcoholics making excuses for their behavior," Meyer said. "Society doesn't understand what is going on physically and mentally, nor should they have to. The simple fact is they'll never understand it, so they'll try to deal with it the best they can."Even if drugs were legal, some addicts wouldn't be able to afford them, he said, and people would still commit crimes related to drug use. "We have seen an epidemic with alcohol abuse. We tried to outlaw it. It didn't work. Alcohol is the number-one killer drug. What's next, legalizing the minor use of pot? I've seen an enormous amount of people in 13 years whose major choice of drug is marijuana. Every time they used it, bad things happen. It still causes families to split, people to break the law."People that normally wouldn't try marijuana might because it was legal. That's particularly true with kids, he said. "Some kids won't break the law simply because it's not legal," Meyer said. "I believe in much of our society, there are healthy families. There's a movement of kids who are standing up for morals. Unfortunately, society is knocking them down."Kids are surrounded by messages that glamorize drugs, alcohol and tobacco, including song lyrics, movies and television. Peer pressure, older siblings and coming-of-age issues also seem to encourage some kids to drink or use drugs.Drug use among young people is apparent to the teachers and other people who are around kids on a day-to-day basis. Still, many more adults are oblivious to drug and alcohol use among teens.Full Circle:When Vorderstrasse attempted to get her son into drug counseling the second time, he was in the hospital after overdosing. Trevor had swallowed a handful of pills a friend gave him, and doctors strongly urged that he get treatment. He'd been arrested on minor-in-possession charges, and a juvenile court can ask a drug offender to enter a treatment program, but the legal process and finding a space at a treatment center can take several months.Vorderstrasse has tried to get her son help other ways. She's asked state Sen. Mae Yih, D-Albany, to propose changes to the law that would allow her son and others to get treatment, but Yih responded with a letter and list of resources she'd already tried.A school counselor put her in touch with the county's Youth Services Team, a group of representatives from local agencies that help families. However, after the initial evaluation and recommendation to get her son into treatment, they haven't been able to help her. "I've contacted the team leader twice to ask when are we going to deal with this. I've attempted everything," she said. "I've approached this from every angle. I've called help lines - anybody that might be able to help me - but there is no help out there."She said some people disagree with her decision to have her son tested for drugs or to seek treatment for him. She had even had Trevor arrested when he came home one night after drinking and assaulted her. "He said he'll never forgive me for this," she said. "Some people think I'm crazy. I'm just very stubborn."When she reads news articles or hears people suggest that legalizing drugs is the answer to the problem, it makes her angry."I know there are people promoting legalizing marijuana, but with an addict, it's a totally different ball game." Vorderstrasse said. "They don't live with an addict. I do."Related Article:Lebanon Teen Tries To Come Clean:By Becky Waldrop, Mid-Valley Sunday Growing up in a small town doesn't mean kids are sheltered from a world of drugs and alcohol. In fact, some kids say drugs are very easy to come by in mid-valley communities. Lebanon teen Trevor "Tre Dog" O'Brien, 15, said he's seen it all in his home town."It's easy to get alcohol," Trevor said. "Pot is sold everywhere. I've seen meth, acid, cocaine and `shrooms. If you want to start doing drugs, it's pretty easy."This week, Trevor made a decision to get help with his drug problem. At the suggestion of counselors, his mom and several doctors, Trevor agreed to enter a residential treatment program"I'd much rather put myself in than have a judge do it," he said. His mom, Pat Vorderstrasse, had tried twice to get him into treatment, but Trevor refused, and state law prevents parents from forcing their children to go to treatment. Vorderstrasse is working with the governor's office to change that law, to empower parents attempting to get help for kids. Trevor has attended Narcotics Anonymous meetings where he can talk to other addicts, and he said he's had enough of a life of drugs and partying.As for the so-called friends and lifestyle he wants to leave behind, Trevor said the people he hung out with don't care what happens to him."My hookups don't talk to me anymore. I'm nothing to them," Trevor said. "Anyone who uses drugs ends up in an institution, in jail or dead. It starts out with a little bit of pot, and it ends up you're snorting lines and shooting up. I had very little self-control."Although there are plenty of pressures to influence people to use drugs or alcohol, Trevor blames himself for his habit, and he wants to get his life back on track. He said writing poetry and playing music would help to keep him busy. "It's my fault. I put myself in the situation, but I didn't know what I was in for," he said. "NA will work for me, and treatment will help. It's a disease. You always have it, but I've got to try to keep my nose clean."Newshawk: Eric H.Source: Mid-Valley Sunday (OR)Author: Becky Waldrop, Mid-Valley Sunday Published: February 25, 2001Copyright: 2001 Lee EnterprisesAddress: Mid-Valley Sunday, P.O.Box 130, Albany OR 97321Fax: (541) 926-4799Contact: news dhonline.comWebsite: http://www.mvonline.com/mid-valley_sunday/Related Article:Enforcers Fear New Forfeiture Reformshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/7/thread7715.shtmlCannabisNews Drug Testing Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/drug_testing.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by Dan B on February 26, 2001 at 23:28:09 PT: Nifty . . . You're Right I don't know where I got "600 pounds"; the correct number is 1500. At any rate, even a 600 pound spliff is quite ridiculous, and at least it served to make a point: even when severely overestimating the "toxicity" of cannabis, the images one can conjure up are still absurd. Who could even afford a 600 pound joint?Dan B [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Dave in Florida on February 26, 2001 at 15:40:19 PT off topic Because wording on the ballot described Measure 3 as a property rights protection act, it's not clear whether people knew they were voting to limit the authority of narcotic agencies. Regardless of voter intent, the measure passed with 67 percent approval.In the County I live in in florida, we have 5 county commisioners. They each represent a geographical district, but are elected at large. About 10 years ago there was a ballot initiative that changed the way the commisioners were voted in. They were to be voted by district only. The changed was welcomed by a huge majority of voters, about 70%. My commisioner, who had never won his own district brought up the ballot initiative at the commison meeting after it was passed and made a motion to repeal the ordinance because "the people did not know what they were voting for". He is finaly out of office after 20 years and the southern county administration office building is named after the bastard. I agree with the other posters as well now that my off topic rant is over.. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by NiftySplifty on February 26, 2001 at 13:17:26 PT 600 pound joints... I thought the amount to be smoked for a person to die was three-quarters of a ton (1500 lbs) in 15 minutes. I'd wager that aside from possibly rolling off the table and crushing someone, a 600-pounder couldn't be very dangerous. (Not including a "no-knock" hit-squad, obviously).As for this article, isn't a bit presumptuous to call Trevor "an addict"? He apparently abused drugs (whichever they were) a number (?) of times, but is he really addicted to any? I'd wager if a psychologist were to look closely at why Trevor was abusing anything, they'd learn a lot more than just "treating" the kid for being "an addict". Just my two cents.Nifty... [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Kevin Hebert on February 26, 2001 at 10:38:33 PT: That's a new one. "Early onset of any substance use doubles your chances of developing a problem," Baskerville said. "It's like Alzheimer's disease, it shrinks the brain. Alcohol, tobacco, marijuana - these are all toxins - but scare tactics don't work."IT WILL SHRINK YOUR BRAIN. Who knew? This entire article was a mass of lies backed up by illogic supported by fear.I feel for Trevor. I am sorry he became addicted to drugs. However, can ANYONE tell me how throwing adults in jail is going to keep children from drugs? Make it legal, and it can be regulated. Apparantly, the anti-drug crowd would prefer to leave their children's welfare to the drug dealers, instead of doctors and pharmacists. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Imprint on February 26, 2001 at 10:33:01 PT: Education is the answer There are some things that need to be considered here. With regard to the mother and her son there wasn’t any mention of a father. Whether or not this woman was married or divorced doesn’t matter, where was the father? Also, this mother wanted to pay money to fix her kid or put him some where to have someone else fix him. There was no mention of her actively working to raise her kid. In other words did she remove him from the bad element he was hanging out with? Did she move to give him to get a fresh start or become more involved in his life. Did she make any real changes to make a difference? In my opinion parent(s) have the power when raising a child, it doesn’t take that much effort to establish respect from you child at a early age. This article mentions that drug use among teens is down but implies that there should be new controls. In other words, take more freedoms away from all for the sake of a few. Our freedoms are eroding because of this kind of thinking. Because alcohol is a legal drug it is controlled. Notice that adults were needed to provide this drug to teens. Illegal drugs are sold on a black market and there is no age limits making it easier for teens to get. They don’t necessary need the help of an adult to get illegal drugs. The very fact that these kids didn’t know that alcohol could kill is the strongest reason that education is the key. This fellow Bakerville mixes the focus. Notice his statement:“As for marijuana or ecstasy, kids don't seem to connect that using these drugs could be dangerous. Drug and alcohol use causes more severe brain damage in kids, he said. The downside is some kids don't listen to what he says.”He starts his statement with “marijuana or ecstasy” and ends it with “Drug and alcohol” causing brain damage. What happened to marijuana beginning part of the focus of his statement? Kids don’t listen to him because they are smart and quickly notice this mixing and come to the concussion that they can’t believe anything he says. Each drug is different and has different effects. Education will become effective when truth for each drug is explained. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on February 26, 2001 at 10:14:48 PT Need News Today! Hi Mr. 2toes and everyone,This article was sent to me and I thought I'd let you all pick it apart. As you can see the news is slow but I'm still looking. Back to finding ( I Hope) some news! [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on February 26, 2001 at 10:04:13 PT: This was a real head-scatcher Is it just me, or did any of you out there notice something about the first article? Namely, that the first article seemed to go back and forth between instances of crystal clarity and then nose-dive into anti agitprop?For example:"Prior to Tamara's death, Baskerville said many people didn't know that a person could die from drinking (Oh, come on now! How many times has this particularly stupid scenario been played out? - k). The tragedy stirred a new interest in talking to kids about the dangers of drugs. "Alcohol is a drug," Baskerville said. "Alcohol and tobacco are so ubiquitous the way they're depicted in films. The alcohol industry spends billions of dollars to convince you to have a good time. Those are powerful messages."An excellent point, and one which antis are forever overlooking...because of who's been supporting them all these years.But then, immediately after this extraordinarily rare admission of fact, the author displays the attention span of a gnat by writing the following:"Alcohol and (Emphasis mine - k.) drugs are not difficult for kids to get their hands on. In many cases, prevention strategies taught by teachers are ignored."This doesn't strike me as terribly rational.Even stranger:'A day before she drank herself to death, Tamara and other eighth-graders at Western View watched a video about the dangers of drinking.'Excuse me, but nothing can prevent a fool from being foolish, or an idiot from being an idiot. Like others who have suffered the same fate, this kid evidently was bucking for a Darwin Award, from the looks of it, and would probably have found, if not this, then another means of doing herself in. Keep in mind: She started sober. She made a decision. After seeing the movie, she decided to risk alcohol poisoning...and lost.Then the article gets downright bizarre:As for marijuana or ecstasy, kids don't seem to connect that using these drugs could be dangerous. Drug and alcohol use causes more severe brain damage in kids, he said. The downside is some kids don't listen to what he says."Early onset of any substance use doubles your chances of developing a problem," Baskerville said. "It's like Alzheimer's disease, it shrinks the brain. Alcohol, tobacco, marijuana - these are all toxins - but scare tactics don't work."Jeez, I wonder why? Maybe because the kids can guess that you're lying, perhaps? As Mr. Baskerville mentioned, 'scare tactics'. Then the article skirts the bounds of propriety, ever-so-gently questioning the intelligence of those voters who passed a recent reform referendum:'Most seized property came from crimes related to the manufacturing or selling of drugs. Proceeds from the sale of property seized during drug busts almost entirely funded police's anti-drug teams.''Measure 3 also dictated that three-fourths of the profits made from property seized after a conviction was to go to drug treatment and education, not narcotics squads such as VALIANT, or the Valley Interagency Narcotics Team. Measure 3 was backed by national figures associated with the drug legalization movement. George Soros, Peter Lewis and John Sperling contributed more than $250,000 to the campaign, according to contribution and expenditure reports. (Emphasis mine - k.)'(And how much has the Federal government spent in the Quixotic War Against Some Alkaloids? Anywhere from 200 to 500 Billion dollars in 20 years. Not terribly bright to bring this up at all, Ms. Waldrop.)Now she starts to ever-so-daintily get nasty:'Because wording on the ballot described Measure 3 as a property rights protection act, it's not clear whether people knew they were voting to limit the authority of narcotic agencies. Regardless of voter intent, the measure passed with 67 percent approval.'Here we go again. The outside (and therefore evil) rich and powerful 'legalizers' who want to chase your children down the street with a syringe in one hand and a coke spoon in the other! They've suckered the populace into voting for a dubiously sponsored referendum! This is a shameless plagiarism straight from Barry's lips; recall that Barry had said exactly the same thing immediately after the passage of props 200 and 215. The people were snookered and didn't know what they were voting for! Implying that this referendum is taking money from the deserving mouths of the VALIANT - I'm sure they were the ones who came up with such a catchy name for themselves - narcotics squad. (Interesting that the author never takes the time to point out the mechanics of how those goods were acquired.)Like I said, this article looks like the author is in some sort of tailspin. She knows that the tide is changing so she doesn't want to come out as a card-carrying anti, so she attempts to finesse her way, trying to pass for someone with an open mind...while still making a point to try to pay her anti dues. Pathetic, truly pathetic. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Mr. 2toes on February 26, 2001 at 09:53:10 PT Whoah!! Was this article found in a toilet FoM?, the author made numerous assumptions then called himself a liar:He spent three days in the intensive care unit of a hospital last fall after a drug overdoseI think we all have the assumption made from this sentence that, this boy OD'd on an illicit drug, Heroin, Coke, something like that, but later, the author says this:Trevor had swallowed a handful of pills a friend gave himSo... this sounds like a blatant attempt at suicide, or an act of supreme stupidity, since the author didnt mention what the pills were, I'm going to assume that it was a legal substance."Early onset of any substance use doubles your chances of developing a problem," Baskerville said. "It's like Alzheimer's disease, it shrinks the brain. Alcohol, tobacco, marijuana - these are all toxinsBlatant lie! "Dain Bramage", this is a scare tactic! Funny this man mentions several times that "alcohol is easy for children to get" yet insists that the fact that marijuana is illegal deters use, underage drinking...is illegal. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Dan B on February 26, 2001 at 09:44:35 PT: Here We Go Again . . . But Trevor refused to sign himself in. Oregon law protects the rights of drug addicts to refuse treatment unless it's court-ordered, including children under the age of 18. Because he hadn't broken any laws yet, he didn't have to stay.He hadn't broken any laws? What "drugs," then, was he taking? Are we to understand that young Trevor was using legal drugs--drugs that are legal even for minors? And why the hell does Oregon law not make exceptions for minors with regard to drug treatment. I'm against forced treatment for adults because adults (at least ostensibly) are responsible for making those decisions for themselves, but kids are another matter. Parents should be allowed to check their kids into effective treatment programs if that is what they deem necessary for the well-being of the child. And they should also, by the way, be allowed to check their kids out those treatment programs.'Many people have tuned out the anti-drug propaganda and turned up the volume on a new campaign - instead of the war on drugs, they've launched the fight to end the war on drugs.Many people have tuned out the anti-drug propaganda and turned up the volume on a new campaign - instead of the war on drugs, they've launched the fight to end the war on drugs.Well, at least the author recognizes that the current anti-drug messages are propaganda. Perhaps the knee-jerk reaction of this pro-drug-war article could be tempered if the author and many of the people quoted therein would simply do some research and learn that people who want to end the drug war have their childrens' best interests in mind. We recognize the truth: the war on drugs causes at least 90% of the drug-related problems in this country--including teen drug abuse."Early onset of any substance use doubles your chances of developing a problem," Baskerville said. "It's like Alzheimer's disease, it shrinks the brain. Alcohol, tobacco, marijuana - these are all toxins - but scare tactics don't work."No, marijuana is not a toxin. An intoxicant? Yes. A toxin? You've got to be kidding. Has anyone here heard of anybody in the history of all humanity ever smoking a 600 pound joint? It would take that much marijuana smoked in 15 minutes to kill a person, and even then he or she would likely die from lack of oxygen before dying of THC "toxicity.""It's easy to get alcohol," Trevor said. "Pot is sold everywhere. I've seen meth, acid, cocaine and `shrooms. If you want to start doing drugs, it's pretty easy."Notice the relative ease of getting various drugs: alcohol is easy to get, but "pot is sold everywhere." Hmmm. Yep, that's our war on (some) drugs, hard at work! And you have to go to the dealer to get any drug; what's the difference whether it's pot or meth, right? It all comes from the same source, thanks to the war on (some) drugs. And that's the problem. Kids don't differentiate between pot and, say, cocaine because we lump them all together. In fact, if kids were taught the scheduling of drugs, they would believe that marijuana (Schedule I) is more harmful than cocaine (Schedule II). Talk about sending the wrong message!"My hookups don't talk to me anymore. I'm nothing to them," Trevor said. "Anyone who uses drugs ends up in an institution, in jail or dead. It starts out with a little bit of pot, and it ends up you're snorting lines and shooting up. I had very little self-control."Good boy, Trevor. You're coming along nicely now. Soon, the prohibitionists will have you rolling over and playing dead. Think about this: about 80 million Americans have tried one illicit drug or another. About 90% have used alcohol. Now, how many of these people are "snorting lines and shooting up"? Not very many. And how many of those people have destroyed their lives as a result of "snorting lines and shooting up"? Even fewer. The fact is that casual drug use is the norm in society, and a small minority of those who use illicit drugs of any kind end up junkies.But something Trevor said does resonate: "I had very little self control." That's the bottom line. For kids like Trevor, treatment should be an option for parents to use in order to help their kids (of course, we don't know what drug Trevor was using. The usefulness of treatment in his particular case is purely conjecture.)But adults should be allowed to make adult decisions without fear of punishment from an out-of-control, maniacal government.Dan B [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Smart on February 26, 2001 at 09:05:22 PT stupid Trevor had swallowed a handful of pills a friend gave him, and doctors strongly urged that he get treatment. He may have needed treatment for drug addiction but I think more likely a treatment that doesn't exist yet....stupidity [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: