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KIDS & DRUGS

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."