Illustrations by Donough O’Malley
You probably know that not all bath salts are intended for soaking in the tub, but have you heard of krokodil, a flesh-eating heroin substitute made by mixing codeine, gasoline, and other chemicals? Or did you realize that if your daughter says she’s going to pick up Molly, her new friend could be ecstasy? For parents, it can seem impossible to keep track of the latest buzz drug that the evening news claims could be running rampant through schools.
“It’s easier to keep track of your kid than try to keep up on the stuff,” says Sgt. Mark Whitson of St. Louis County’s Bureau of Drug Enforcement. “I would advise parents, watch your kid. Look for those changes of behavior and talk to them about it.”
Starting a few years ago with the heroin epidemic, Whitson has been holding town-hall meetings at area schools. Initially, his message was blunt: “Heroin kills.” But over time, he’s refined his approach. Now, he pushes students to form fellowships to help each other resist the dreaded scourge of peer pressure.
But he also says the traditional “Don’t do drugs” message isn’t enough. Whitson partners with local agents from the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse to show children how drugs mess up their brains, in more scientific detail than the old commercial with an egg in a frying pan. “Kids think adults are stupid,” he says. “You can’t just go in there and tell them this stuff is bad. You’ve got to kind of explain it to them, lay a foundation for it, and say, ‘This is the reason it’s bad.’”
As the movement to legalize marijuana gains momentum across the country, authorities worry we’re sending kids mixed messages. “Kids are not going to a party or going to school and getting busted with heroin or cocaine as their first drug that they’ve ever tried,” says Renee Heney, director of the Rockwood Drug-Free Coalition.
Community groups like Heney’s have largely taken over the work of discouraging drug use. Her organization was named Missouri’s substance-abuse-fighting Coalition of the Year last year. The Rockwood group hosts after-school parties for seventh-graders and pairs youngsters with high-school mentors who reinforce the message of prevention. There’s also a back-to-school pool party, a Rockwood Rocks! band night, and an annual poster contest with prizes.
To educate adults on the dangers of various drugs, the Rockwood Drug-Free Coalition sponsors a program called Super Parents, a series of sessions targeting people whose kids are as young as preschool, with childcare and dinner included. The title works against denial. Nobody thinks they need a parenting class about drugs, because of course, my kids don’t—and won’t—do drugs. But who wouldn’t want to be a Super Parent?
“What I tell parents repeatedly is, there will always be a new drug,” Heney says. “No. 1, stay informed. No. 2, make sure the door of communication is open with your child. Then the third one is, stay engaged in their life.”
