Sergeant First Class Wycliffe Jangdharrie of the Tennessee National Guard Counterdrug Task Force was the guest speaker at the meeting of the Copper Basin Health and Community Advisory Board.

“Sergeant J” said that there is a rise in prescription drug use among kids. “12-17 year olds are most at risk for using these drugs and becoming addicted. Their body is still growing. The abuse of prescription drugs is on the rise because of accessibility and you don’t have to smoke them or inject them into your system. Sometimes kids may think that because it is prescribed by a doctor that it can’t hurt them.”  Always keep an inventory of the drugs in your medicine cabinet, he advised.

Meth isn’t as popular as you might think among kids, he said,  but it is a big problem in Tennessee and surrounding areas-. “Meth is a highly addictive stimulant. It destroys lives.” He brought the meth trailer that is used for education and training. It gives a look at how meth is made, used and the effect on the users as well as stories of children who have been abused by meth-addicted parents.

If you need Sergeant J to come speak to an organization, church or school you may contact him at: National Guard Armory 1801 S. Holtzclaw Ave. Chattanooga, TN 37404; email: Wycliffe.jangdharrie@ng.army.mil; office: 423-634-4094 or fax: 423-634-4089.

 In the coming weeks the Polk County News will be printing a drug series that will provide drug education and
information on help that is available if you find that you, your child or a loved one is an addict.

 Pictured are the faces of children who abused by parents addicted to meth. At the top is a baby who was drowned in a bath tub. In the middle is a child who went to the refrigerator for something to drink. Thinking she had Mello Yello the child ingested muratic acid-an ingredient in meth.  The child has permanent damage to her esophagus. At the bottom, a 6-month old overdoses, has seizures and is life flighted to a hospital. The mother gave the baby methamphetamine in a baby bottle.