In cities and towns in La Porte County and across Indiana, youths are using illicit drugs and abusing prescription pills.
In a 2008 survey of 167,700 middle and high school students in Indiana, the average age of first use was 13 for alcohol, and about the same for cigarettes and marijuana, according to the Annual Survey of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use by Indiana Children and Adolescents. Although overall youth drug use was down across the state, the survey showed an increase in injection drug use among high school students.
NOPE educates students in middle schools, high schools, and colleges about the consequences of drug consumption. A network of community leaders goes into La Porte County's more than 10 schools to deliver personal and blunt presentations, during which police officers explain the grim task of making death notifications to distraught families, and parents who lost children to drugs share their suffering.
Following most presentations, students seek help either for themselves or someone they know. Counselors are available to assist, and many teachers devote the remainder of the school day to further discussion.
Frank talk about drugs should not end in schools.
NOPE offers similar presentations to parents so they know their children are often confronted about drugs on school bus stops, in school cafeterias, at movie theaters, at friends' homes, and on their computers. Counselors and community leaders explain the signs of drug usage and the best ways to speak with kids about drugs. Parents can ask questions and speak privately with the professionals.
The presentations are given at schools, community centers, religious halls, and living rooms of concerned parents.
To schedule a NOPE for Parents presentation, click here.
