Parents take a look at drug use
Christine Carrillo
They party on the drug Ecstasy, have taken hallucinogenic trips on
Jimson weed and construct marijuana pipes from apples.
While only a minority of today’s youth falls into this category, a
group of parents within the Newport-Mesa community spent Tuesday
evening learning how to keep their children from entering that drug
world, too.
During a meeting hosted by the Harbor Council Parent Teacher
Assn., five guest speakers gave parents tips on how to deal with
teens facing drug and alcohol issues, issues frequently associated
with end-of-the-year festivities.
With issues ranging from expulsion to legal consequences imposed
on parent and child, the meeting provided parents with a brief
synopsis of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s policies, the
various trends with teenage drug and alcohol use, the legal
ramifications and the best ways for parents to intervene.
“This is a difficult topic for parents ... but we’re all in the
business of keeping kids safe,” said Patty Christiansen, Harbor
Council president. “If we only change the way 10 people look at what
their children are doing and they intervene, it will make a
difference.”
Costa Mesa Police Officer Ron Stone and Newport Beach Police
Officer Lloyd Whisenant gave the audience a look into the dangerous
activities of some teens.
“I think this is a great idea and we need to do more of it,” Stone
said. “We need to get more parents involved because a lot of times,
we’re preaching to the choir.”
While the officers revealed the problems with the use of alcohol
and marijuana among teens, and the constant problems with teenagers
driving while under the influence incidents, they highlighted how the
use of such substances can easily lead to much more. Ecstasy, GHB
(commonly known as the date rape drug) and Ketamine were just a few
of the “club drugs” that officers Stone and Whisenant discussed.
“A lot of these drugs are related to sexual assault and rape,”
Whisenant said. Parents “need to know what [their] kids are getting
into.”
Pepe Montenegro, coordinator for the district’s outreach
counseling program, suggested that parents adopt an active role, an
idea that lingered in the minds of many of the parents and other
audience members.
“I think [parents] often overlook or forget to look at the
basics,” said Vanessa Ontiveros, a Costa Mesa resident who works at a
homeless shelter. “I think it’s important to bring it to their
attention. It would’ve been nice if more parents came.”
While the goal was to help as many parents as possible, the Harbor
Council wasn’t deterred by the fairly small turnout. As far as
they’re concerned, it’s a step in the right direction.
“I don’t know if we reached as many people as possible,” said Lisa
George, Harbor Council event chair. “Hopefully, it’ll have a ripple
effect.”
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