Substance Abuse Community Forum
Devising messages about substance abuse and targeting elementary school students is among the ideas discussed during a community forum in Beaumont.
The Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission invited parents, people who work with government agencies, as well as medical and school personnel, to offer feedback on plans for making students and adults more aware of alcohol and drug abuse problems.
A student from Lamar University spoke about what she calls the lack of alcohol awareness on campus, and how to make the student body more aware of the dangers.
A member of Mothers Against Drunk Driving told the crowd that prevention begins early. To get the word out, education about these problems should start in elementary school. Also, Beverly Watts Davis with the Texas Association of Bartenders Commission stressed the importance of not providing alcohol to minors. She says it's not always in bars and clubs where there is a problem. Parents who distribute to their children's friends could face a Class A misdemeanor, with up to $4,000 in fines, one year in jail and 180 days suspended driver's license.
The Planning Commission needs everyone in the community to buy into the process in order to get it off the ground. Members plan to pass out questionnaires at malls to poll the community.
