Substance abuse forum delivers powerful message
Parents learn tips to tell
if children are possibly
out of control
By Heather Milo
Acorn Staff Writer

When a child comes home from a party, a hug not only means a parent is glad to see them, it’s a way for parents to sniff for the scent of alcohol or smoke. A wealth of such information was made available during a Tuesday evening parent education forum on tobacco, drugs and alcohol at Thousand Oaks High School. The event was jointly sponsored by the TOHS Parent Teacher Student Association and counseling office, Conejo Valley Unified School District pupil services and Conejo Council PTA.

Patti Yomantas, TOHS PTSA president, welcomed the audience and Linda Calvin, CVUSD associate director of pupil services, introduced the night’s panel of experts. The speakers consisted of Skip Shaver, TOHS counselor; Jerry Leavitt, tobacco prevention specialist; Sue McCormick, tobacco prevention specialist/counselor; former CVUSD student Crystal Thompson; Ventura County Deputy Sheriff Jason Robarts, special enforcement gang unit and Deputy District Attorney Gene Kinsey.

Cable Channel 21 filmed the event, so anyone who missed the program should check their local cable listing.

Calvin said no matter how much information might be given during the event, it was only the tip of the iceberg as to what parents need to know to keep their children safe.

Starting off, a video said that the tobacco industry employs more lobbyists than the health industry and that 3,000 kids start smoking every day. Calvin labeled tobacco a "gateway" drug that often opens the door to drug and alcohol abuse.

Shaver said, "We know we have good kids here, but there are no social or economic boundaries (in drug and alcohol abuse)." She said that many kids come to counseling full of anger and depression, self-medicated with over the counter drugs, contemplating suicide and dependant on sexual activity for love and acceptance.

Leavitt, a 25 year veteran of the Los Angeles probation department, emphasized the importance of media literacy, saying that parents that talk about television commercials or print media ad with their kids can open valuable communication pathways. Leavitt said that the media relies on glamour, sexual situations and adventure to appeal to young people and sell them tobacco and alcohol.

The ads also use reverse psychology. "‘We don’t want children to smoke.’ That was the smartest campaign a leading tobacco company ever had, because teenagers can’t wait to be adults," Leavitt said.

McCormick talked about "raves." She described them as unsupervised parties with loud music that feature a cornucopia of readily available illicit substances. McCormick supplied information about and photographs of ecstasy, GHB, (Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate, commonly known as the date rape drug), and other commonly-used drugs, in their many different forms, including powders, pills, capsules and disguised as candy in necklaces or stored in PEZ dispensers.

She described the side effects of these stimulants and said that teething pacifiers often became popular amongst high school ecstasy users to stop teeth-grinding.

Thompson shared her own story about getting involved with tobacco, marijuana and alcohol, and how the support of interveners such as Leavitt has turned her life around.

Robarts elaborated on the use of prescription drugs, as well as more commonly-known street drugs. Be on the lookout for paraphernalia, he said, including pipes, eye drops, rolling papers, plastic baggies, small glass vials and pagers.

Check your child’s pager, he advised, for codes such as "420." While originally the date, April 20, was designated as National Smokeout Day, it is now a code for distributors and seekers of marijuana. He said "177" on a pager reads like the letter "M" for marijuana, and "13" stands for "M," the thirteenth letter in the alphabet. The number one indicator of drug use, Robarts said, was tardiness: being late to class or trouble holding a job due to lateness.

"Know where your kids are. Search their rooms," he said.

Kinsey told the audience about The Parent Project, a free, 10-week course for households with an out-of-control teen. The program is available in every Ventura County city, he said. The course is designed to put the parent back in charge.