Drug use — students learn consequences of their choices
By Kathryn Reed
Ten middle school students died at Lake Tahoe Community College on Tuesday as their classmates watched. Then they went to the funeral and staring back them in the coffin was a reflection of themselves.
Gritty. Gripping. Impactful.
That’s what the Drug Store Project is all about. Now in its ninth year, the program is designed to teach sixth-graders about the consequences of doing drugs. One of them being death.
It's not real here -- but the consequences of drug use and abuse could result in death. Photos/Kathryn Reed
While no one actually died March 27, the 10 groups do go through a series of vignettes that show what can happen if they become involved with drugs. Death is one of those consequences.
Lisa Huard, who was the safe schools coordinator for Lake Tahoe Unified School District when she began the program, started with seventh-graders. A few years ago it was switched to sixth-graders. With how young children are exposed to drugs, she envisions fifth-graders being part of Drug Store Project.
(Now Tahoe Youth & Family Services is the lead agency, with Huard still at the helm.)
Students in Douglas and Alpine counties also participate in the nearly all-day event.
The premise is a student, who is handpicked to do so, swipes a baggie of drugs from a table where narcotics officers are giving a lesson.
In one group it was Harmony, a sixth-grader at South Tahoe Middle School, who was cuffed and hauled off to juvi hall.
While “the hall” is clearly not the real deal, the probation officers working it are. They talk about the used underwear kids must put on. They’ve been washed. But they sure aren’t white anymore.
That isn’t just some woman in a black robe at the front of the room or some other woman acting like an attorney. That’s El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Suzanne Kingsbury and El Dorado County Assistant District Attorney Lisa Serafini.
That’s one of the powerful things about Drug Store Project – adults are doing their job, even if it’s in scripted form. Those are real handcuffs, real guns, people with real authority to put someone behind bars as well as to counsel them.
Harmony is told to go to counseling at Tahoe Youth & Family Services.
But then she leaves, goes to a pharm party – where prescription drugs are handed out like candy. She doesn’t leave on her own.
Paramedics wheel her out on a gurney. A California Highway Patrol officer arrests the 18-year-old who is hosting this party.
Harmony’s group is now assembled in the dark college theater. She comes in on a gurney with an IV in her and breathing apparatus. CPR is not working.
The spotlight is on her.
She dies.
Not a sound comes from her classmates.
She is left there with a white sheet covering her body.
Her classmates leave to attend her funeral.
While a real minister gives the eulogy, when the students go to view Harmony’s body what they see instead is themselves. A mirror is there instead of Harmony.
The point: do what Harmony did and they could wind up in a coffin.
True story
While this was make believe, the next venue wasn’t.
Molly Cocking is standing behind a table full of medical devices. Those tools helped save her life.
The summer before her sophomore year at South Tahoe High School she drank to the point of having a blood alcohol content of 0.25. In the morning, when she woke up at Barton Memorial Hospital, her BAC was 0.16 – still twice the legal limit for an adult.
Now age 26 and an emergency room nurse at Carson Tahoe Hospital, Cocking retells her night of horror – at least what she remembers of it. Her parents were told she might not make it through the night.
She credits friends with saving her life – for not letting her sleep it off, for calling for help.
Cocking was told if they had not done that, it’s likely she would have died.
She didn’t preach about not ingesting drugs or alcohol, but she did encourage them to not do what she did. What Cocking imparted was some of the most practical advice for the day – don’t pick up a drink (even it was yours to start with) if there is any chance someone could have slipped something into it, and if you are going to drink or do drugs, be sure it’s around people you trust so if something happens, there is someone there to help.
Cocking’s story could be a standalone event.
All the pieces
Drug Store Project is a collaborative effort. While Huard is the organizer, more than 150 volunteers help. Harrah’s donates about $8,000 worth of food. Embassy Suites offers a night of lodging to the California National Guard.
The college donates the space.
Agencies donate personnel and equipment – like the Tahoe Douglas bomb squad, Calstar, law enforcement and others.
But the $13,000 it costs in cash to put the event on seems each year to get more difficult to find. The school district stopped doing the program several years ago. TY&FS relies on a grant.
And it’s not just this one day. TY&FS will be in classrooms Thursday to debrief the kids. This age group needs time to process things like this, thus the reason for waiting a day to go to their schools. About 350 students go through the program each year.
Surveys will be sent to parents. The hope is this triggers conversations in homes.
For more information, go online.
I want to thank the TYFS Board for their continued belief that prevention is the smart and economical way to deter intervention and to save lives, the over 45 different agencies from both state and local levels, businesses and service clubs that financially make sure the DSP continues, the many, many volunteers from our community, “Kinekt” students at STHS, and most of all the 6th grade students and teachers at STMS, Zephyr Cove, St. Theresa,and Diamond Valley schools for their participation in this year’s event. In all this program takes one year to bring to fruition a topic we wish we didn’t have to teach. We want kids to think about and remember the lessons learned yesterday. We want families to discuss drugs–we want them to get more educated and be more open. We want the necessity of this program to disappear. Drugs won’t diminish in our communities unless the demand for them does. “Choices-What are Yours?”
Thank you, Lisa, for bringing this most important educational program to our kids. I know it makes quite a difference in their lives, possibly saving them.
Only good can come from an event like this.
Thank you to everyone that participated and especially to Lisa Huard who works so hard to bring it back each year to a new class.
I was truly impressed by this program and look forward to volunteering next year.
Thank you Lisa for the amazing level of organization & flow throughout the event.
drug(s),
n a substance used in the prevention, cure, or alleviation of disease or pain or as an aid in some diagnostic procedures.
drug absorption,
n See absorption, drug.
drug abuse,
n an excessive or improper use of drugs, especially through self-administration for nonmedical purposes. This term has increased significance because of the enactment of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, which replaces the Harrison Narcotic Act. See also substance abuse.
drug combinations,
n.pl the use of drugs together to enhance the properties of both to the benefit of the patient.
drug dependence,
n a physical or psychologic state in which a person displays withdrawal symptoms if drug use is halted suddenly; can lead to addiction.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA),
n.pr the federal agency charged with monitoring use and abuse of narcotics. It provides the drug schedules used to determine the addiction potential of dental drugs.
drug hypersensitivity,
n an allergic reaction that occurs after exposure to a suspect medication. It may manifest with a fever or rash and in severe cases, organ damage or death. It is classified as (1) immediate or occurring rapidly after exposure, or (2) delayed or occurring several days after exposure.
drug idiosyncrasy
n an adverse drug reaction that occurs in a small number of persons and presents no correlation to dosage or means of therapy.
drug interaction,
n a modification of the effect of a drug when administered with another drug. The effect may be an increase or a decrease in the action of either substance, or it may be an adverse effect that is not normally associated with either drug.
drug resistance,
n the capacity of a microorganism to build a tolerance to a drug.
drug stability,
n the length of time a drug retains its properties without loss of potency; usually referred to as shelf life.
drug therapy,
n the use of a drug in the treatment of a patient with a specific disease or illness.
drug tolerance,
n the body’s ability to increasingly withstand the effects of the substance being used, thereby requiring larger quantities of said substance in order to bring about the desired result.
drug toxicity,
n the critical or lethal reaction to an erroneous dosage of a medication. Drug toxicity may occur due to human error or intentional overdose in the case of suicide or homicide.
drugs, antibiotic,
n.pl the chemical compounds obtained from certain living cells of lower plant forms, such as bacteria, yeasts, and molds, and from synthesis. They are antagonistic to certain pathogenic organisms and have a lethal effect on them.
drugs, antimicrobial,
n.pl the drugs, mainly penicillin and its derivatives, used to combat viral, fungal, and parasitic infections.
drugs, antiseptic,
n.pl the chemical compounds used to reduce the number of microorganisms in the oral cavity.
drugs, autonomic,
n.pl the drugs that mimic or block the effects of stimulation of the autonomic nervous system.
drugs, desensitizing,
n.pl the agents used to diminish or eliminate sensitivity of teeth, especially the dentin, to physical, chemical, thermal, or other irritants (e.g., strontium chloride, silver ammoniacal] or potassium nitrate, sodium fluoride, formalin, zinc chloride). See hypersensitivity, dentin.
drugs, endodontic,
n.pl the drugs used in treating the dental pulp and dental periapical tissues.
drugs, nonofficial,
n.pl the drugs that are not listed in the United States Pharmacopeia (U.S.P.) or the National Formulary (N.F.).
drugs, official,
n.pl the drugs listed in the U.S.P. or N.F.
drugs, officinal
n.pl drugs that may be purchased without a prescription. More commonly called
over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.
drugs, over-the-counter (OTC),
n.pl the drugs that may be purchased without a prescription. Sometimes called nonlegend drugs because the label does not bear the prescription legend required on all drugs that may be dispensed only on prescription.
drugs, parasympathetic
n.pl the belladonna alkaloids that inhibit glandular secretions of the nose, oral cavity, pharynx, and bronchi. This is the main reason for using atropine and scopolamine for preanesthetic or preprocedural medication.
drugs, parasympatholytic
(per´sim´pthōlit´ik),
n.pl the drugs that block nerve impulses passing from parasympathetic nerve fibers to postganglionic neuroeffectors.
drugs, parasympathomimetic
(per´sim´pthōmimet´ik),
n.pl the drugs that have an effect similar to that produced when the parasympathetic nerves are stimulated.
drugs, proprietary
(prprī´iter´ē),
n.pl the drugs that are patented or controlled by a private organization or manufacturer.
drugs, psychoactive
n.pl the drugs or other agents that have the capacity to become habit forming because of their influence on mood, behavior, or conscious thought; may be therapeutic or recreational.
drugs, sympathetic,
n.pl the agents that imitate the sympathetic autonomic nervous system actions. They usually cause raised levels of alertness and anxiety. Various types are used in dentistry as vasoconstricters in conjunction with local anesthetics. See also adrenergic agents.