The fight against teen drug use in Pickens County just got a little easier.? Behavioral Health Services, along with the Stepping It Up Coalition, has received a $625,000 federal grant aimed at tackling teen drug abuse, specically in the areas of alcohol and prescription pills.? "The problem is a lot larger than people want to say," says Cathy Breazeale, director of prevention services at Behavioral Health.? "I don't want it to get any larger."
Currently, 19% of Pickens County teens who were surveyed admit to binge drinking.? 9.6% of teens in the county admit to abusing prescription pills.? Both of those numbers are above national averages.
The new grant will involve all sectors of the community, from schools to law enforcement and parents.? Breazeale says the money will be spent on things like extra compliance checks by deputies, and a youth board that will take the message about drugs to schools throughout Pickens County.
If the program succeeds, Assistant Sheriff Tim Morgan says it could have a huge trickle down effect on the whole county.? "It affects all of us in one way or another," he says.? In 2011, deputies recorded 133 drug offenses in the county.? Just through October this year, the number is already up to 193.? Morgan believes programs like the ones this grant will fund, could eventually save taxpayers a lot of money.? "Just the totality of all those costs is tremendous, and it's going to wreck the train eventually if we don't do something about it."
Breazeale says the grant will be disbursed in increments, $125,000 a year for the next five years.? If the program succeeds, the money will be extended for another five years.
Source: http://www2.wspa.com/news/2012/oct/23/pickens-county-grant-aims-tackle-teen-drug-abuse-ar-4816820/
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