Group warns parents about drug abuse trends

A local group has a message that some parents may find alarming.

The Bonneville Youth Development Council met at Rigby Junior High School on Tuesday to talk about some drug-abuse trends that are popular with area youth.

Council leaders say the frightening trends are in how kids are hiding illegal drugs from their parents.

Trends show something as simple as a modified can of Pringles chips can be used as a place to hide drugs.

Typically a parent suspects drug abuse a year later.

BYDC coordinator Alisha Passey said the purpose of her group’s area workshops is simple:

“This program is really there to educate, so those dots can be connected so much quicker than that year,” Passey said.

Passey said drug use among eastern Idaho youth has taken on a frightening life of its own in recent years. Trends show an increased abuse of high-proof alcohol disguised as energy drinks.

“These drinks are really, really fruity. Like this one is strawberry lemonade,” she said, adding that when sweet taste is mixed with 12 percent alcohol content, kids are getting drunker younger and quicker. “That’s one of our huge concerns.”

Passey said another major trend is what’s called a “pharm” party – short for pharmaceutical drugs.

She said kids will collect prescription drugs, pour them into a bowl and randomly take a handful for a surprise high.

Passey said if a group of parents is interested in learning, the council can come to them. You can find contact information at http://bydc4youth.com/About_Us.php.