Pubdate: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 Source: Robertson County Times (TN) Copyright: 2006 Robertson County Times Contact: http://www.rctimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2064 Author: John Bailey, For The Star News Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) SCHOOLS COMBINE WITH COMMUNITY IN EFFORT TO CURB DRUG, ALCOHOL ABUSE Sumner County schools is combining forces with local law enforcement, community groups and members of the court system to create a unified front against the problem of drug and alcohol abuse among teens. The Sumner County Anti-Drug Coalition officially formed last week. The idea for the group came from Sumner County Schools Safe and Drug Free Coordinator Pat Conner. Criminal Court Judge Jane Wheatcraft was asked to spearhead the meeting. "I would say 90 to 95 percent of the cases that I see are drug related in some way, covering everything from fraud to assault to burglary. Drugs are tied in some how," Wheatcraft said. "When she (Conner) brought the idea to me, I immediately realized that this would need to be an interdisciplinary approach to the problem with all of the community, coming together to deal with it." The first meeting of the Coalition was mainly focused on the participants voicing their concerns and getting to know one another. At its next meeting, the Coalition will begin to discuss creating specific committees to deal with problems that are specific to the different communities in the County. Conner said that most people at the meeting were surprised at how ready teens are to accept the idea of drinking and using drugs in social gatherings. A recent Teen Issues Survey taken by the school system showed that out of 9,456 students who participated in the survey 25.6 percent admitted to drinking alcohol, 12.6 percent admitted to using marijuana and 12.5 percent admitted misusing prescription drugs. "If you don't have teens living in your home, you don't really know about these problems," Conner said. "We need to start working smarter rather than harder to deal with these issues and this coalition is the first step." Dwight Lewis from Friends Against Alcohol and Drugs sees the coalition helping to bridge the gap between parents and their children when it comes to talking about drug use. "Parents are an important part of the conversation," Lewis said. "It's hard to convince kids drinking is bad when they see their parent's liquor cabinet at home every day." Conner based the idea for the coalition on the framework created by the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America (CADCA) program. CADCA provides technical assistance and training and marketing programs for community coalitions. CADCA representative Pam White spoke to the Sumner County Coalition and emphasized the importance of team building across the community. "I think she really made the point of bringing in people from all walks of life from parents, students, faith based organizations, and members of the health and business communities," Wheatcraft said. "We won't be working in a vacuum any more." The Anti-Drug Coalition meets again at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 4 in the General Sessions Criminal Court Room on South Water Avenue in Gallatin. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman