Alcohol, drug and tobacco use among teenagers can be prevented and it's the parents who are the most influential in that process. That message was discussed at a parent forum last week sponsored by the Gretna Public Schools Citizens' Committee to Provide a Safe and Healthy Community for the Youth of Gretna.
The message delivered was clear and succinct:
Y Talk to children early
Y Set rules and consequences
Y Help children learn how to say "no"
Y Know what children are doing
Y Set a good example
The Nov. 8 forum explored current situations regarding technology safety updates, alcohol, tobacco and drug trends in the metro area and issues in western Sarpy County according to the Sarpy County Sheriff's Department.
Susie Dugan, executive director for PRIDE, Inc., said the goal is to keep children and teens away from alcohol, inhalants, marijuana and tobacco until the age of 21 because then a person will probably not abuse or get addicted to them.
In eastern Nebraska, teens are mobile to get drugs and alcohol, the average age of first trying drugs is 12, no child or family is immune to addiction and the No. 1 choice for teens is alcohol and it is often tried first, Dugan said.
She said tobacco use has decreased among teens, mostly because there are so many smoke-free public places. Inhalants are used by 6 percent of high school seniors, but is more of a middle school problem.
Marijuana use, however, is up. Dugan said today 40 to 45 percent of high school seniors report to be using marijuana.
"When kids perceive that a drug is harmful, they tend to not use it," she said, but it has been marketed in movies as OK to use. "They are believing what they are hearing in the media."
Sheriff Jeff Davis said alcohol is the No. 1 problem in western Sarpy County. To get more specific trends in the Gretna area, Davis asked officers who cover the area about the trends and he read their message verbatim.
The officers concluded Gretna is no different than any other community when it comes to drugs. Marijuana, like everywhere else, is popular in Gretna, especially with the high school students.
"What's surprising is that many parents don't realize their kids are using marijuana," Davis read. "We do many knock and talks in Gretna and always seem to find marijuana in a kid's room or get an admission from him or her that they do smoke marijuana. The parents always seemed shocked to find out that their kid is using marijuana."
Many adults also still feel the need to get high on marijuana. The sheriff's department recently arrested a 39-year-old father of three in Gretna for possession of marijuana, Davis said.
The information his department is getting from informants in Gretna indicate there is a group of four to five young adults who supply most of the youths in Gretna with marijuana or ecstasy. Davis said they have arrested most of these teens in the past year, but they are still apparently selling. He said, as of early November, one of the suspects left town and the other is in jail again, so the supply line has been disrupted a bit.
Davis said ecstasy seems to be on the rise, especially since suppliers have come out with a synthetic form people can easily obtain on the Internet.
"We received a law enforcement bulletin on synthetic ecstasy just last week and no sooner than we received the bulletin the road patrol stopped a guy in possession of the stuff," Davis read. "And just like the synthetic meth it's not illegal in Nebraska yet."
Another increasing concern are teens using and trading prescription pills.
"We heard about a party in Springfield where kids got together and traded prescription pills back and forth with each other and then had no idea what they traded for or what they're putting into their bodies," Davis read. "We haven't heard of any parties like this in Gretna."
Last year around this time the sheriff's department arrested three individuals for possession of ecstasy and marijuana. These three were also "huffing" with whipped cream canisters. Davis said one of those juveniles who was placed on probation was later arrested for possessing meth on school property.
Davis said, according to the informant, these same individuals are still using the synthetic drugs such as ecstasy and 2CE. He said Gretna seems to be trending toward the synthetic drugs such as ecstasy and 2CE as well as marijuana.
Davis also talked about the T.R.A.C.E., or Target Responsibility for Alcohol Connected Emergencies, program. It pursues the individuals who provide the alcohol and where it was obtained when there has been a under-aged drinking arrest.
The pilot program started in January 2007, and it has shown results. Within a six-week period, 12 cases involving under-aged drinking were followed up by investigators to arrest 30 people for minor in possession, five adults for contributing and two for procuring, according to www.sarpy.com.
Consequences for youths who are arrested for drugs or alcohol depends on the youth's age, Davis said. If a teen has a problem with drugs or alcohol, the teen needs to get into the juvenile justice system in order to get help, he said.
"It can't do any good if they are not in the system," he said.
Many times the juvenile has other issues, such as a mental health issue, and such issues can be detected and addressed early on and in a juvenile justice system, Davis said, adding that the files would not follow a teen throughout their entire life.
Davis also said there are gang affiliates living in Gretna, but they are not like gangs a person sees on TV or in the movies. Those in Gretna are not hostile gang members, but the gang members have a purpose and the sheriff's department is aware of them.
Kevin O'Neill said cell phones and smart phones have changed a teen's life in the last years. By age 17, 77 percent are texting and by age 12, 35 percent are texting. One in three teens send 100 texts per day, O'Neill said.
This means cyberbullying is the newest way teens harass each other.
But parents can have control over cell phones by using content filters, usage controls and location and monitoring controls, O'Neill said.
On Facebook, O'Neill said it's important for parents to stress the importance of privacy and safety settings available and explain how information is sold by Facebook to businesses.
Also, parents should be aware of how teens sometimes make it a contest to get as many friends as possible. O'Neill said this can be dangerous.
"When you have a friend who has 700 or 1,000 friends and another person has certain settings, there is a potential for some problems," he said.
Another way to protect teens in the waves of technology is to set computer monitor guidelines. For instance, set Internet usage hours, keep a computer in a open room in the home and purchase Internet filters to block certain websites.
Superintendent Dr. Kevin Riley said if parents spend time with their children, he feels confident in the future of the youths' lives.
"You'll see how good our kids are," he said.
The important thing is to supervise them. Be diligent, watch, listen and speak up when you see something that is wrong, Riley said.
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