| If the average number of kids in a class is about 30, | | | | besides the obvious problems connected to drug |
| then two teenagers from every three Arizona high | | | | addiction, is that they usually smoke it in a piece of |
| school classes is using heroin. A survey found that 2 | | | | aluminum foil. There are no needle marks on their |
| percent of Arizona teens in Grades 8 through 12 | | | | bodies, and almost no smoking odor for parents or |
| have tried heroin, and it's a very dangerous drug. | | | | others to detect. But both the black tar and brown |
| There's no going back after serious heroin abuse - | | | | powder heroin widely available in the state can be |
| the only recourse is drug rehab. | | | | lethal - it is often cut with other drugs that, in |
| According to a National Survey of Drug Use and | | | | combination, cause serious and deadly side effects. |
| Health, 1.4 percent of 8th, 10th and 12th graders | | | | Kids also often drink alcohol or take some other |
| have used heroin in their lifetime. Arizona, at 2 | | | | "downer" type drug with it, which is also a deadly |
| percent, is in a higher category of needing more and | | | | mix. Many of the youngsters who arrive for drug |
| better drug rehab programs for kids than some other | | | | rehab have experienced repeated close calls requiring |
| states. | | | | medical attention. |
| Another disturbing survey found a 12% drop in the | | | | Heroin is trafficked into the state from Mexico by |
| numbers of Arizona parents talking to their kids | | | | ruthless, organized drug syndicate criminals. It is |
| about drugs. It's a proven fact that kids are 50% | | | | distributed and sold on the street by more street |
| less likely to try drugs and wind up needing drug | | | | gang members and outlaw motorcycle gangs. These |
| rehab if they regularly discuss drugs and drug abuse | | | | people are armed and dangerous, and couldn't care |
| with their parents. | | | | less if they kill our kids with their poison or leave |
| Just in the past two months, there were at least | | | | them needing drug rehab. |
| five heroin deaths in Arizona, including two high-school | | | | Are drug pushers who we want our kids spending |
| students - both of whom might have been saved | | | | any time with at all? Most parents would be very |
| with a timely intervention and drug rehab. Is it | | | | worried if they knew their kids were consorting with |
| possible that no one at school knew they were using | | | | violent gangsters, setting themselves up for trouble |
| heroin - or at least some kind of drug? Seems | | | | at school, trouble with the law, visits to the ER, |
| obvious that other kids had to know - and some of | | | | months in drug rehab, or even death by drug |
| them may still be using it themselves. Almost any kid | | | | overdose or a bullet in some dark alley. Doesn't it |
| would agree that doing nothing to help an addicted | | | | warrant some discussion with your kids about what's |
| friend into drug rehab is a pretty big ethical failure. | | | | really going on? |
| One of the dead youngsters, 17-year-old football star | | | | No one knows for sure if there's a link between the |
| Danny Pasanella of Chandler, AZ, was already known | | | | 12% drop in parents talking to their kids about drugs |
| to be a long-time addict by his friends and parents, | | | | and the rise in teenage drug abuse and drug-related |
| who "thought he had it under control." He'd been | | | | deaths in the state. But it's not unrealistic to suspect |
| through drug rehab in 2006, but obviously it didn't | | | | a connection. If you think about it happening to your |
| work. There had to be some kind of communication | | | | own kids instead of to 'those kids over there', you'll |
| failure surrounding Danny's addiction. If his relapse | | | | see that a discussion is not a bad idea. And if you |
| was spotted by someone, they should have helped | | | | find out your kid is on drugs, drug rehab program is a |
| him return to drug rehab. | | | | whole lot better than a trip to the morgue. |
| The trouble with kids using heroin these days, | | | | |