At their April Meeting, members of the Pontotoc County School Board heard a presentation about drug testing of students, given by Mitchell Keyes and Van Hopkins from ADAPTS, LLC, a Tupelo drug testing firm. They currently conduct drug tests on county bus drivers.

The student testing program consists of random monthly testing for the presence of popular drugs plus prescription medications and other lesser known or less popular abusive substances. A current drug problem among teens is called "skittling" or the use of non-prescription cough suppressants to achieve euphoria. The type of test kit used by ADAPTS can detect all of these substances.

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Hattiesburg Police Department is looking to crack down on drug-related crime with a new unit.

The interdiction unit, which will start to work Saturday, is made up of six police officers and one supervisor, who all already work for HPD. Each officer already has been assigned an accompanying K-9 partner.

Lt. Dale Bounds, the unit's supervisor, said the team will be beneficial to the growing city by taking more narcotics off the streets. Combating narcotic distribution prevents other crimes from occurring, Bounds said, adding that the unit's staff along with its soon-to-arrive new equipment trucks will better help the department combat crime.

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The slogan for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition is "COPS SAY LEGALIZE DRUGS ASK US WHY!" This non-profit organization was founded by Jack Cole, a former New Jersey Detective and is comprised of former police officers and government officials.

The Criminal Justice Department of Jackson State University sponsored an event involving L.E.A.P called Winning the War on Drugs: Prohibition or Legalization, hosted by Department of Criminal Justice Chair, Dr. Thomas Calhoun on Feb. 21 in room 266 of the Dollye M.E. Robinson Liberal Arts Building.

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The approval of a youth drug court in Jackson County is an important step forward in helping young people straighten out their lives.

And, maybe the introduction of a youth drug court is pointing to success in the drug court program for adults. The adult drug court is relatively new. Drug law offenders are given a choice to either go through the traditional court process or enter drug court. Offenders in drug court have a chance to stay out of jail, obtain treatment for their addiction and clear their record. The drug court program is not a free ticket out of jail. Once drug law offenders are in a drug court program, they have to remain clear of drugs or be sent back into the traditional court system.

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PASCAGOULA -- Jackson County youth judges and prosecutors will have another option for handling cases beginning April 1, with the opening of a new youth drug court.

While Jackson County judges hearing cases involving adults have established drug court policies, youth court judges did not have that option.

"It's a very important program for Jackson County," said Youth Court Judge Sharon Sigalas, who said that a number of cases before her are the result of juveniles using drugs.

The youth drug court will cost about $250,000, with most of the funding coming from the state, according to Jackson County Youth Court administrator Cynthia Wilson. She said the court is designed for about 40 juvenile offenders.

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Lawmakers who once supported a bill requiring that a drug court be established in each of Mississippi's 22 Circuit Court districts have backed off the proposal, saying funding may not be feasible.

Instead, the push this session will be to expand the system without taking money from existing programs and

The goal is to cut down on the cost of incarceration and give some offenders a second chance, proponents say.

Fourteen Circuit Court Districts already have drug courts, though all are not fully operational yet, including one in Hinds County.

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The Mississippi Court of Appeals today upheld the 60-year with no parole sentence of a man convicted in Madison County of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Keith Baskin, 33, of Shaw was convicted by a Madison County jury in March 2006 and sentenced in May by Circuit Judge Samac Richardson.

Baskin was sentenced as a habitual offender after it was determined he had two previous criminal convictions. The indictment was amended after his conviction on the marijuana charge to reflect he was a habitual offender.

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CARTHAGE--The new year is generally a time to start fresh with new outlooks on life and for six people who recently graduated from the Eighth Circuit Drug Court, 2008 couldn't be brighter.

The six graduates, many Scott County residents, are proof that you can succeed in life after a drug conviction.

The six were honored during the court's first graduation held on Dec. 18 in Leake County. Their graduation follows many months of rehabilitation programs, Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, frequent drug testing and intensive judicial supervision.

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PASCAGOULA -- A Gulfport emergency-room doctor and her common-law husband have bonded out of the Adult Detention Center after agents with the Narcotics Task Force of Jackson County arrested the [redacted] pair on their return from a vacation in Mexico.

Sgt. Curtis Spiers, commander of the task force, said agents met [redacted] as they got off the plane at Gulfport International Airport just before Christmas.

"They had no idea," Spiers said Monday referring to the airport arrests.

[redacted] were both released from the ADC after posting a $25,000 bond each on one count each of cultivation of marijuana.

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A defining moment came in the lives of seven people last week as the Eighth Judicial District Drug Court, the first certified in the state, graduated its first class.

In addition to the seven, 16 others moved up to Phase III and seven to Phase IV of the program which includes 125 people.

One of those moving up to Phase IV told a packed crowd in the Leake County courthouse that the program had saved her life.

"This drug court has saved my life, it has changed my life around," said Neshoba County native Janice Norris.

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Moving the Columbus Police Department one step closer to a having a fully functional crime lab, the City Council Tuesday night unanimously voted to take bids on $24,000 of drug testing equipment.

Initially, the equipment will enable the city to have its own lab for testing city employees.

But as the capabilities are increased, the equipment likely will generate some income for the city.

Columbus Police Chief Joseph St. John told the council the city's previous practice of "sending away" for drug testing only prolonged the process.

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OXFORD - The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors gave their support Monday to a proposed drug court for the state's Third Judicial District. The supervisors agreed to front the costs of the drug court and be reimbursed monthly from state-appropriated funds.

The drug court, which would begin experimentally in Lafayette County before possibly expanding to Tippah, Union, Benton, Marshall, Calhoun and Chickasaw counties, would provide selected offenders a chance to get off drugs and avoid prison.

"It's going to treat an addiction," said Third District Attorney Ben Creekmore. "The reality is, a lot of these people are at a crossroads. If they don't go down the right path, they'll end up costing the taxpayers a whole lot of money."

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Almost 100 Students Graduate Friday From Drug Program

The chances a good many students at Southeast Lauderdale Middle School will get into trouble later in life by taking drugs or drinking alcohol got much lower Friday as they graduated from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program.

They are now armed with the single most important weapon against drug and alcohol abuse, knowledge.

During a graduation ceremony, almost 100 students received their diplomas. Along with each diploma that was handed out, there also was an expressed promise on the part of the students they would not partake in drug, alcohol or tobacco use. They made a conscious decision to keep their bodies and lives clean thereby giving themselves a clear advantage to fight temptations later in life.

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With a successful tradition of building better citizens and helping children say 'no' to drugs, the Winston County DARE programs kicks off another year while adding a new program.

Both the regular program and the new 7th grade curriculum start the week of Nov. 6. Presently, the 7th grade program will be at Winston Academy with the DARE officers hoping to institute county wide in the future.

Louisville Police Department DARE Officer Tonya McWhirter takes the lead for her fifth year while DARE officer Jason Pugh will handle the new program for the class of seventh graders. Officer McWhirter will teach nine DARE classes in each of the schools (Louisville Elementary, Winston Academy, Noxapater and Nanih Waiya) to roughly 280 children.

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The last week of October is nationally celebrated as Red Ribbon Drug-Awareness Week. The theme for 2007 is "Look at Me, I'm Drug Free." Local schools, agencies, and individuals have engaged in drug education and awareness activities.

It has been fun to visit area schools and observe the innovative ways students are presenting drug-free messages. Purvis Elementary School students celebrated "Sock it to Drugs" by wearing wild or mismatched socks the day I joined them. I was impressed with the questions students asked about our most commonly abused drug, alcohol. They listened to consequences experienced by people who abuse alcohol, tobacco or other drugs, and were encouraged to sign the Red Ribbon Pledge to make healthy, positive choices; solve disagreements without violence; and to be alcohol, tobacco, and drug-free.

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State's Units Investigate Street-Level Trafficking, Homicides And Burglaries

The future of the state's 14 multijurisdictional narcotics task forces was left in limbo Friday with uncertainty over funding for the new fiscal year that begins Monday.

A committee appointed by Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner George Phillips has not approved funding for the task forces, said Claiborne County Sheriff Frank Davis, whose county is a member of the North Central Narcotics Task Force.

The task forces attack street-level drug trafficking and also investigate major crimes such as homicides and burglaries.

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PASCAGOULA -- It could have ended much worse for the 12 graduates of drug court Thursday night.

Instead of having their names read as graduating from the program, the 12 could be spending long stretches in prison, or they could be dead.

"It saved my life," graduate David Lyda said. "Drugs made me lose everything I ever had -- my relationships, my possessions, everything."

Lyda said he was arrested twice for manufacturing methamphetamine, which got him into the drug court.

At the time of his arrest, Lyda said he wanted to be free of drugs, "but I did not see it happening. I was looking for a way to get out. Getting caught was the best thing that happened to me. I wouldn't be free from drugs if I hadn't been caught."

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PONTOTOC - This county has suburban-style subdivisions, small towns and rural areas that not only provide lifestyle advantages for residents, but also pose varying public safety challenges.

Three veteran lawmen, all longtime Pontotoc County residents, will compete Nov. 6 to be the man facing those challenges, succeeding Sheriff Leo Mask, whose bid for a third term ended in the Democratic primary. The winner will take office in January.

While the candidates differ in enforcement styles, they agree on the biggest challenge facing the election winner: drugs.

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The MSU Faculty Senate will discuss the conditions of a faculty and staff drug and alcohol policy, which went into effect on May 5, at the Senate's first meeting of the semester on Sept. 14. The policy was approved by the university's Executive Council on Jan. 19.

The Drug and Alcohol Free Workplace Policy says, "University employees expect to work in a drug free environment. The university expects its employees to be free from the effects of alcohol and drugs while on the job or in the workplace."

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A recent drug seizure in Lawrence County marks the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics' first case of flavored crystal methamphetamine in the state.

Authorities suspect powdered strawberry Quik, a drink mix, was used in the manufacturing of the substance. Laboratory testing is ongoing.

Hosie Anthony Carter Preston of Jefferson Davis County was arrested by MBN during a traffic stop on June 22 on U.S. 84 in Monticello, said Delores Lewis, spokeswoman for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.

One gram of methamphetamine, 3 grams of marijuana, a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol and $16,000 were seized, MBN Director Marshall Fisher said.

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