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high school also has some drug
awareness programs.
“We offer services through the
counseling center, and also have a
group called Natural Helpers who try
to listen to problems students may
have, including substance abuse, ” she
says. “We also have the drug dogs, on
a random basis. ”
Sandra Parker director of
secondary education for the College
Station Independent School District,
says sniffer dogs have helped at A&M
Consolidated.
“Based on my personal
observation, the number of alerts by
sniffer dogs has declined, ” she says.
“The dogs are not finding as many
drugs now. That may not mean the
kids aren’t doing drugs as much, but it
does mean they are keeping them off
campus, which is a start. ”
Parker says the school hasn’t done
a comprehensive study as to the
number of drug users on campus, or
of the sale of drugs on campus.
“Kids are usually smarter than
that,” she says. “Since no one has
gotten caught, we have no way of
proving that it happens. ”
At Bryan High School, officials
refused to comment about any drug
problems in the school.
All educational and knowledge-
imparting programs aside, drug use is
a big business. BIG BUSINESS. A lot
of people use drugs, whether they
know the chemical formulas or not.
ne A&M student who
prefers to remain anonymous says she
occasionally will smoke marijuana or
do some cocaine, but it’s really no big
deal.
“I went to a high school where a lot
of the students had a lot of money,
and drugs was just something to blow
it on,” she says. “First it was
marijuana, and then cocaine. But it
wasn’t like it was a big deal.
Everybody did it, cheerleaders and
football players, all kind of people.
And it was more like an occasion
thing. Like we would do it on trips, or
at dances, but everybody didn’t do it
every day.
“Since I’ve been in college, I really
don’t do it all that much. Sometimes
it’s around, but once I do it, I’m really
not much fun. After one hit, all I can
think about is doing it all night. That’s
all I want to do, and all I can talk about
is taking another hit. So I have to keep
it under control. ”
Another student who also
requested anonymity has worked at
several clubs in the area and says he
thinks a lot of students go out high on
drugs.
“I would always see a number
people who would get high on drugs
at home before they went out, so they
wouldn’t have to spend a lot of money
on drinks,” he says. “They would
drink water or juice, but you could tell
they were high on something. ”
However, the world of drugs
is an illegal one. If you didn’t know
includes drug dealers. And in Bryan-
Collge Station, law enforcement
officers are working just as hard.
“Drug dealing is not something to
be taken lightly,” says Sergeant Rick
Stewart, an officer in the Texas
Department of Public Safety.
Possession of drugs in the penalty
group one, like cocaine, is a second
degree felony. For posession of less
than 28 grams, or 1 ounce, you can
be confined for two to 20 years and
can receive a maximum fine of
$10,000. For 28 grams to less than
100 grams?, the sentence is five to 99
years, or life confinement, and a
maximum fine of $50,000. For
posession of over 400 grams, the
penalty is 10-99 years and a
maximum fine of $100,000.
But if you not only possess the
drug, but also deliver it to someone
else, the penalties are a bit stiffer,
especially in the area of fines.
“Delivery of a drug is a first degree
felony, ” Stewart says. “For delivery of
up to 28 grams of coke you could get
five to 99 years in confinement and a
maximum fine of $20,000. For 28 to
200 grams the confinement sentence
is the same, but the maximum fine is
upped to $50,000. ”
And as the amount of the drug
increases, so do the penalties. Stewart
says delivery of 200 to 400 grams gets
you 10 to 99 years in confinement
and a maximum fine of $100,000 and
And the penalties are the same tor
adults and minors.
“There is no difference between
minors or adults,” Stewart says. “If
you are 16 or 17 years old there is a
good possibility that you will be tried
as an adult. Sometimes the courts will
lower the age to 15. Oftentimes
however, younger offenders are
probated. ”
Stewart says the law doesn’t state
you can’t probate offenders, but that
maybe it should.
“What needs to be written into the
law is that there is no probation, ”
Stewart says. “That is how the law
was set up to begin with. ”
So what about drugs in the
Bryan-College Station area? Is there a
problem? Stewart says yes, there is.
“Every six months we compile
physical statistics for the Bryan area, ”
he says. “In the last six-month period
we had 337 reports of drug-related
incidents. Sixty-one persons were
arrested, and there were 94 charges,
which means there were multiple
charges.”
And if you thought drugs weren’t
big business, consider the figures for
the Bryan-College Station area.
“We seized 1,623 kilograms of
marijuana during this period, with a
street value of $2,435,565, ” Stewart
says. “We seized 274 grams of
dosagenits of depressants, with a
street value of $2,100. All totalled, we
seized $2,491,286 worth of drugs.”
Unfortunately, Stewart says the
numbers aren't going down.
“The numbers are always
increasing,” Stewart says. “The
number of arrests are down this time,
but there seems to be more and more
drugs to seize. For that reason, the
department is starting a new
approach. We are concentratinng on
the organizational structure rather
than the dealers in the street. ”
Stewart says this approach requires
infilration of the organizations, which
takes a lot of time.
“Some of our operations take as
long as three to five years, ” he says.
Stewart also says the violence and
destruction seen on television police
shows isn’t very realistic.
“We don’t allow an officer to kill
somebody or damage a lot of property
like you might see on television, ” he
says. “Television characters don’t
have to worry about the feds on their
backs if they break a law getting
evidence. We don’t allow our people
to break any laws, and this makes it
difficult “Sometimes that policy stops
our investigations all together. There is
a fine line as to how involved in an
organization you can get, and not
break any laws. ”
Center encourages responsible partying
By Kristin Czamik
The concept of responsible drinking
and alcohol awareness is being
promoted across the country to
address the issue of alcohol abuse.
Ann Coombes, assistant
coordinator of the Center for Drug
Prevention and Education, says
responsible party planning, which
starts with the host, is a matter of
putting common sense to good use.
Alcohol should not be the focus of
the party, Coombes says.
“Many times alcohol is used as an
inducement for people to come to a
party, ” Coombes says. “You will have
more control over the party if you
have a theme or get people involved
in an activity that does not focus on
drinking.
“Even though every activity could
be turned into a drinking game, start
out with the idea that it is not. Maybe
your influence and ideas will be
passed on to another person.
“It is real hard to come up with
alternative activities because society
has become engrossed in sociable
drinking. A kid growing up today does
not know much else to do. ”
Coombes says it is also important
for the host to recognize an
individual’s right to drink or not to
drink.
“You should provide alternative
beverages to people who are under
21 or do not want to drink, ” Coombes
says. “However, it is important that
you serve the alcoholic beverages and
the non-alcoholic beverages in generic
glasses.
“You do not want to make
someone feel bad because they are
not drinking alcohol.
“A lot ot times peer pressure is so
great, it helps to provide an escape. If
you at least provide it, maybe
someone who might have had that
drink because people were pressuring
them, they can get away with carrying
around a Sprite instead of a gin and
tonic.”
Coombes says non-alcoholic
beverages should be displayed as
attractively as the alcoholic beverages.
“People do not want to see a dusty
case of Coke shoved under the sink
while the beer and Bacardi are
displayed in an open-bar setting,”
Coombes says. “If you provide the
setting so that they are equally
represented, you might have a chance
of someone taking a non-alcoholic
drink. ”
Coombes says a reasonable portion
of the budget for the party, at least
one-fourth or one-half of the amount
spent on alcohol, should be allocated
for the purchase of food items.
“High-protein foods like light
sandwiches, dips, meats, cheeses,
pizza and other solid foods help slow
the absorption of alcohol into the
bloodstream,” Coombes says. “Salty
foods like popcorn, nuts and chips
only enhance people’s thirst.
“ It is expensive, but it helps your
guests enjoy what they drink and
reduces the less attractive effects of
alcohol. ”
Coombes says it is important to
display food in an open accessible
area and make it pleasing to the eye,
“People do not like to hang around
the food table at parties,” Coombes
says. “Place the table where people
can just walk by and grab something
to eat.”
Coombes says college students
should be aware of what their alcohol
intake is and realize their limits.
“If you monitor your intake and
take one drink an hour, you will
probably be okay because it takes the
body one hour to absorb the alcohol
from a 12-ounce drink,” Coombes
says. “However, people should stay
away from pitchers of beer and mass
quantities of drinks because you can
not monitor your intake.
“Drinking from a keg is also hard to
monitor because people might refill
their cups when it is not completely
empty.”
When planning a party, Coombes
says, the host should be aware that
only about one-third of Texas A&M
students are of the legal drinking age.
“Plan on checking I.D.’s and
stamping people who are 21 years of
age,” Coombes says. “When planning
your budget, you will not have to
spend as much money on alcohol
because most A&M students can not
legally drink. ”
Coombes says the host should also
pick designated drivers in advance
and have a specific beginning and
ending for the party.
Likewise, additional kegs should
not be tapped and the bar should be
closed at least one hour before the
party ends, Coombes says.
“Whenever possible, advertising for
the party should not mention alcohol
or the amount of alcohol that will be
available,” Coombes says. “However,
if you do mention alcohol in the
advertisement, you should state the
availability of non-alcoholic beverages
and that I.D.’s will be checked. ”
Thursday^ March 24,1988/At Ease/Page 11