01/09/04

Drug awareness program sheds light on deadly drug

Jessica Linder and Nikki Jones didn't know much about the drug Ecstasy.

The two Port Charlotte Middle School eighth-graders had both heard of the illegal drug before, but they didn't realize it could cause brain damage or that dozens of other substances could make their way into one tiny pill.

And they didn't know it could kill them.

But in one hour Thursday morning, they learned more than they probably ever wanted to know about the drug from Florida National Guard Lt. Jeanette Asuncion, who spent the day teaching the school's seventh and eighth graders about the effects of Ecstasy and why they should say "no" to it.

The presentation at Port Charlotte Middle School was part of a series of free drug awareness programs the Florida National Guard offers to schools. It was the first time a local school had taken part in the program, but it likely won't be the last.

A state drug survey conducted in 2002 showed that more than half of Charlotte County middle and high schoolers have tried illicit drugs in their lives -- 13 percent of them say they've tried Ecstasy and 3 percent use it regularly. The 2002 survey earned Charlotte County the nickname "Scarlet Charlotte" and was more than a wake-up call to local officials.

"We really need to take advantage of all the resources that are available to our community," said Amity Chandler, director of the Charlotte Alliance for a Safe & Drug-Free Community, who let schools know that the Florida National Guard drug program was available.

Teaching kids about the effects of drugs like Ecstasy is particularly important, Chandler said, because it's a newer problem in the area.

It's a designer drug marketed toward kids, she said, and because it is a new problem, drug awareness programs already existing in the community don't really address it.

And an even bigger problem -- Asuncion said most teenagers think it's safe.

The drug was invented in 1913 as a diet pill and was later used as a Prozac-like drug by doctors, Asuncion said.

"Why do you think people use Ecstasy" she asked, looking out at the crowd of students for answers.

"To be cool!"

"To get high?"

"To get away from depression!"

Asuncion nodded her head and said most who use drugs do so out of ignorance, not knowing what is in the drug they are taking or how it will affect them long-term.

Ecstasy, she said, can cause everything from muscle tension and sweating to brain damage, liver damage, heat stroke and death.

Linder and Jones said after hearing about the drug that they would never take it.

"It's deadly," Linder said. "I didn't think it was that bad for you."

"I didn't know it could kill you," Jones added.

Cathy Corsaletti, an assistant principal at Port Charlotte Middle, said when it comes to drugs, the more her students know the better, especially for middle school age children who are just starting to make choices about such things.

According to the drug-free alliance, youths in Charlotte County report smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol by the time they are 13.

"To make wise choices, they need information," Corsaletti said. "Sometimes it's not enough to just tell them to say 'no.'"

A one-minute anti-drug message, several times a week can even make a difference, she said.

Asuncion has trained about 100 Charlotte County high school students to talk to their peers about drug-use and several other schools already have seminars scheduled.

"This is the first of what we hope is many," Chandler said of the classes. "We're definitely going to keep (drug usage) from going up."

You can e-mail April Frawley at afrawley@sun-herald.com.

By APRIL FRAWLEY

Staff Writer