Pubdate: Thu, 03 May 2007
Source: Daily Sentinel, The (Grand Junction, CO)
Copyright: 2007 Cox Newspapers, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.gjsentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2084
Author: Amy Hamilton

FRUITA HIGH STUDENTS ADMIT TO DISTRIBUTING PRO-METH FLIERS

Two students from Fruita Monument High School admitted  Wednesday to
distributing fliers around Grand Junction  that touted the benefits of
using crystal  methamphetamine. The students came forward to school
officials and were suspended, Mesa County School  District 51
spokesman Jeff Kirtland said.

Officers with the Grand Junction Police Department  removed hundreds
of fliers from vehicles parked at Mesa  Mall and Wal-Mart on Rimrock
Avenue on Tuesday  afternoon. Fliers were also placed on cars at
Fruita  Monument High School and Grand Junction High School.

The fliers claimed meth use is good for weight loss,  increasing 
athletic ability, improving awareness and  curing colds. They read, 
"Meth: One man's risk is  another man's benefit!" and "Trusted and 
used since  1887," and "Don't let the Man melt your "Ice"!"

Police said Wednesday they considered the fliers a
hoax.

The students who distributed the fliers did not violate  the law, said
spokeswoman Linda Bowman of the Grand  Junction Police Department.
Bowman said the department  didn't investigate the incident because
the fliers  didn't include a phone number, which would indicate a
solicitation for business. And, neither of the  businesses pressed
trespassing charges.

"This is a pretty foolish and abhorrent message, but it  is protected
by free speech," Bowman said. "I don't  know if it was a social
experiment, but it's pretty  much case closed."

Bowman said police might investigate further if a flier  was pushed
through a window of a vehicle, which would  constitute tampering. If
the fliers were spread around  town, it may be considered littering.

Sam Grady of Grand Junction said he found a flier on  his vehicle at
about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. He said the  fliers were placed on all the
other cars in the  Wal-Mart parking lot on Rimrock Avenue.

"I thought it was a joke and it would have real  statistics at the
bottom, but it was straight-up  promoting it," he said. "It was very
inappropriate."

Grady said he overhead a mother launch into an  explanation against
using drugs after her son plucked  the flier off their car.
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