Pubdate: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 Source: Des Moines Register (IA) Copyright: 2011 The Des Moines Register Contact: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/99999999/HELP/40507010 Website: http://desmoinesregister.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/123 Author: Janet Klockenga Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/K2 LINCOLN PARENTS LEARN DANGERS OF DRUGS Some 75 parents of teens sat in silence as they listened to a man about their age share the story of his son's drug-related death. Mike Rozga of Indianola was the keynote speaker Jan. 20 at a Lincoln High School event called "A Dose of Truth: Things We Don't Want to Talk About." Rozga's son, David, killed himself in June after smoking K2, known as a synthetic version of marijuana. It can cause severe hallucinations, extreme anxiety, seizures and blackouts. David had just graduated from high school. Mike Rozga said the danger of K2 is that it's not regulated, and it's manufactured all over the world. Often it's marketed as incense, and each dose can contain different elements. It affects users differently and unpredictably, he said. Following David Rozga's death, his parents lobbied Iowa lawmakers to ban the sale of K2, then launched a website, www.k2drugfacts.com, to educate teens and their parents about the drug that's relatively new. And now, even through their grief, the Rozgas talk to kids and their families in an effort to help them. "What I love about being here is seeing a school community that wants to learn and make a difference," Mike Rozga said at the program. "And schools can make a difference. "We need to talk to our kids about stuff we don't even know about," he said to parents. "My message to you (students) is: Be smart and do not smoke, ingest or inject. You don't know what somebody is going to hand you." Rozga also appealed to parents to get to know their teens' friends, and to set a good example for their teens. He asked teens to call a trusted adult if they find themselves in an uncomfortable situation. "We live in a messed-up world," he said. "You can make a difference. Just say no. That sounds real easy. If you do give in, call someone for help. "We need to start standing up and do the right thing. We don't want to see what happened to our family happen to anyone else." The event's other speaker was Mike Wenger, a substance abuse prevention specialist at Employee and Family Resources. Wenger discussed some of the major addictive substances that teens use today: alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, inhalants and K2. Wenger told the audience that alcohol had changed his life. When he was 18, he was drunk and crashed his car. He lost his lower left leg in the accident and now uses a prosthesis. Wenger said he wants to challenge young people when he talks with them. "Not everybody gets into drugs and alcohol," he said, and he urged teens in the audience to "try to think past that day," saying that mood-altering substances won't help them if they're having a bad day. Other events at Lincoln's program were presented by the Hope Drama Troupe, which focuses on child abuse; and break-out sessions were held on drugs and alcohol, teen pregnancy and bullying. Jenna Guy, 18, a senior at Lincoln, performed with the drama troupe. She said the troupe helps get teens talking about issues, particularly about child abuse, its main focus. "It opens doors to conversation," she said. Sophomores Mallory Hinds and Katie Thorpe, both 16, served on the committee planning the event. They said it's critical to get young people to talk to each other and to be supportive of each other. "It's so important," Hinds said. "I'm going to listen to a student before I'll listen to an adult." Laurie Butz, Gear Up adviser at Lincoln, worked with the Youth Building Healthy Communities student-run service learning project and with Employee and Family Resources to plan the event. Starting in October, they surveyed 1,500 Lincoln students in the sophomore, junior and senior classes. Butz said 35 percent of those who returned surveys said using drugs and alcohol was the number one problem that should be addressed. She said the program last week was aimed at parents, and she was pleased with the turnout of about 80 people, some of whom brought their teens. "We were afraid students wouldn't come," she said. "But we are so proud of our students who helped organize this, and so proud of our community for supporting it." She also appreciated the feedback she received from parents attending. "Parents said there's a need for a program like this," she said. "And it's needed everywhere. It's not a Lincoln issue." [sidebar] MORE ABOUT K2 The parents of an Indianola teen who died after he used the synthetic marijuana product K2 created a website to inform people of the drug's effects and dangers. The product -- often marketed as an herb or incense -- has been banned in Iowa since the death of David Rozga. Another dozen states also have banned it and at least 10 others have bans at the local level or under consideration statewide. Learn more at www.k2drugfacts.com. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake