Many parents probably aren’t familiar with the terms, “doin’ da lean,” “riding the elevator” or “chasing the Rainbow.”

You can bet your teen probably has heard of these terms, which refer to the drug culture of our youth.  Parents, school staff and community members are invited to get wise at “Operation Street Smart,” which will be presented May 5 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Woodmore High School gymnasium.

Operation Street Smart is being hosted by the Two Villages Initiative, a coalition of concerned citizens challenging the culture to make the area a safer, healthier place for all the community’s children.

Created by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Operation Street Smart is a collaborative effort between D.A.R.E and the Special Investigations Unit, the undercover narcotic branch of the Sheriff’s office. The goal of the program is to provide current and up-to-date narcotic information on trends, terminology, paraphernalia and physiological effects to adults who interact with teens on a daily basis.

The target audience for Street Smart includes parents, teachers, school board members, school administrators, coaches, probation officers, physicians, juvenile prosecutors, and children services employees.

The program, led by Sgt. Michael Powell, will give a comprehensive look at the substances being used, including “traditional” drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroine, as well as commonly abused prescription medications that are easy accessible in most households. Attendees will hear about the physiologic effects of the drugs and signs of use and abuse to look for.

This program will includes actual examples of current designer street drugs such as XTC, LSD, GHB, Ketamine, and Khat. Current drug paraphernalia examples will be available to depict the ease in camouflaging drug use from adults.

In addition to serving the Frank County Sheriff’s Office, Sgt. Powell was a supervisor with the FBI Drug Task Force in Columbus and a member of the Narcotics Association Regional Coordinating Officers (NARCO). He drafted the core curriculum of the Basic and Advance Undercover Narcotics courses and is widely recognized as an expert in illegal drugs, their manufacture, sale, and impact on our society.

To date, Operation Street Smart has been presented over 600 times to more than 90,000 people throughout Ohio and the United States. In May 2004, the program received the F.B.I. Director’s Community Leadership Award.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed