Law enforcement warn students about substance abuse before school begins
By Jenna Wilson
As students head back to school, officials are taking preventative measures to warn against the dangers of fentanyl and other drugs.
The start of a new school year can be stressful for students, leading to them searching for different coping mechanisms.
“There’s all kinds of stressors kids deal with when starting school,” said Buchanan County Drug Strike Force Capt. Shawn Collie. “Trying to fit (in) and make friends and just getting back into the regimen of school in general can be stressful, and as you start experiencing those feelings, you may be presented with peer pressure from outside sources.”
Students can experience peer pressure in the form of engaging in risky behavior, including trying different drugs.
The Drug Strike Force will be partnering with the school district, the St. Joseph Health Department, Youth Alliance and other organizations to bring drug use prevention programs to area schools and underline the many effects drug usage can have.
“There’s other aspects to drug abuse than just us telling students drugs are bad,” Collie said. “It’s some of the sexually transmitted infections that come along with it, sexual assault and uptick in crime among the youth. So, if we can work on this together as a community and with our partners, maybe we’ll start seeing lower statistics in those areas.”
Whether it’s taking a pill from a friend or using illegal marijuana, officials are warning students any drug that may appear safe can be harmful if not prescribed to you personally.
“Getting something from your parents, the school nurse or a medical provider is the way to go,” Collie said. “You have no idea what’s in anything that could be from the streets and that goes with marijuana, too. I know with the legalization there’s a perception that all the products are safe, but similar with alcohol and tobacco products, there’s still regulations that go along with that and there’s still dangers that go along with that, especially when it comes to our youth.”
