Did you know that
many parents have teens,
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who are using
drugs and have drug kits
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right in the home
hidden in plain sight.
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Well, stay tuned to find
out the signs and symptoms
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of this massive social problem.
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My name is Yvonne Lewis Shelton.
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And I'm Jason Bradley.
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And you're
watching Urban Report.
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Hello and
welcome to Urban Report.
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I'm your host
Yvonne Lewis Shelton,
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and I'm pleased to
have as my co-host, my son,
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the general manager
of Dare to Dream network,
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Jason Bradley.
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Yay! Good to be here with you.
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So glad you're here.
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I'm particularly
happy that you're here
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on this program
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because I think
you have a lot of input
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that you're going unfortunately,
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you're going to
have, or fortunately, too.
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But you know why I
mean unfortunately.
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And you'll know in a few minutes
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why I'm saying unfortunately.
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But you're going to
be glad he's here too
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because he's going to share
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some of his insights with us.
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And our guest today is
Michelle Bertinetti-Smith.
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She is the outreach coordinator
for the Gateway Foundation.
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Welcome to Urban
Report, Michelle.
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Thank you so much for having me.
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We are so glad that you're here.
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You know, we heard
about your presentation
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some months ago and I thought,
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"Wow that would be
such a great program
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to have a program
that lets parents know
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when their
children are using drugs
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because a lot of them..."
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But a lot of
time, if you're like me,
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you have no clue
about stuff like this.
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See...
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Well, that's true.
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He...
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Tell little bit
about your journey, Jay,
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just an overview of your journey
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so that people understand what.
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Okay, so, you
know, the Bible says,
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"By beholding
you become changed."
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So around the age of 14,
I kind of left the church
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and I started hanging
around with the wrong people,
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and then I also
started just listening
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to the wrong types of music
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and watching the
wrong movies, of course,
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when she is either not around
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or when I was spending
the night at a friend's house
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or something like that.
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And then so I got
involved in drugs.
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I started smoking marijuana,
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and then I
started doing like Xanax
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and some other things.
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And so it was kind of a
gateway drug type of thing,
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you know, and I look
at some of these things
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that are on the
table and they take me
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back to my past when I
used to do those things.
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Later on down the line
and as my habit got worse,
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I had to find a
way to fund that habit
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so I started
selling drugs a little bit.
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And I wasn't any good
at it and I ended up...
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Thank God for that.
Yeah, that's a blessing.
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And so then I ended
up getting arrested,
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and for me that
was my rock bottom,
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and that was the
last time I touched drugs.
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But I could have been sentenced
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to 15 years in prison.
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And I just left
it alone after that
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and ended up
giving my heart to a Lord
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a couple years later
prior to coming to work here.
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Yes, and we just
praise God for the fact
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that He brought him through.
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And we're thankful
that we have you here
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to share this with us.
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Tell us a little
bit about Gateway
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and what you do at
Gateway Foundation.
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Well, I am the
outreach coordinator
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at Gateway
Foundation, so my position there
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is to work with the
community and make sure that,
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you know, I keep
everybody up-to-date
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with the different programs
and services that are available
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because a lot of times whenever
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you're looking at school systems
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or, you know, the legal
system maybe knowledgeable.
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But there's a lot of
people in the community
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that aren't knowledgeable
about the current services
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and support that's
available right here locally.
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So I do a lot of
education within the community
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and then I also
do prevention piece
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called Hidden in Plain Sight.
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And so that is
my parent education
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on teenage drug trends.
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And I've presented this
at multiple different facets.
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I've presented it for teachers
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during our
teacher education days,
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I've presented it at schools
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for their parent
teacher orientation night
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in high school
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to help parents, and
sometimes grandparents
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are even raising their kids.
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So, you know, you've
got that generation gap.
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So they may have been
able to spot some things,
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you know, many years
ago with their children
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when things were so different.
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But having that
generation gap there,
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they're lost.
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And it's not that they
don't care, they do care,
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you know, they love
their grandchildren,
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and parents love their kids.
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But you don't
know what to look for.
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But you don't know
the signs. No, you don't.
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And nowadays, there's...
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I mean people are so innovative
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that they're getting
more and more creative
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as time goes on.
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I'm sure
somewhere along the line,
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there's going to be stuff
that I don't even recognize
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or that we didn't
have back in the day, so...
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Well, there's things
here that weren't there
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whenever I was in high school.
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So, there things have changed.
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Yes.
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So feel free to jump in, Jay,
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as we go through
this and talk about
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if any of these things
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are things that you
were acquainted with.
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And then afterwards you
and I have to have a talk.
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I'd be running after this stuff.
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Yeah, that's right.
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I was just kidding.
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This program is
so valuable to us
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that we're doing two parts.
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So this is part one, and
we're going to follow it up
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with a part two
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because there's
just so much information
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that Michelle has brought to us
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that we just have
to share this with you.
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So let's get
started, Michelle, tell us
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what's this on the table?
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Well, I have several things.
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Normally, I set up a
mock teenage bedroom,
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and these things
are hidden and dispersed
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throughout the bedroom.
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And I give the
adults an opportunity
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to go through the
bedroom and write down,
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you know, what they think
are signs of possible drug use.
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And then afterwards I go
all over of what's actually
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in the bedroom and
why there are signs.
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And with our spacing
today, what I did was
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I just brought
instead of going through
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and having people search,
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I just brought
some of those things
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from the bedroom with me today
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that a lot of people
would typically look over.
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Some of them are obvious,
but there's a lot of things,
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you know,
apparently look at and say,
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"Oh, that's a little different
or those messy teenagers,
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they are always littering
their soda cans around,
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I'm always happen to
pick up their dirty clothes.
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You know, the hamper
is right there," you know,
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so there's so many
things that they walk by
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and they have no idea are signs
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because things do
evolve and change.
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Yes, yes, show us
some of these things.
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I'm looking at
things that look normal.
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They do.
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If you're seeing a
crushed can laying on the floor
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along with ten others,
you would think I really wish
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they didn't
drink soda in the room
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because there with the cans,
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they're crushed up in their room
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and that type of thing.
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But this can is
actually a little different.
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So if you were to
look at it closely,
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and I'll turn it this
way so you guys can see it.
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But it has perforation here...
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Little holes in it.
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So it's
creased, it's perforated,
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and then over here on
this side is a cut triangle.
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So what this says is, yes,
it's a soda can that was once,
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you know, contained
soda but now it is a bong
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used to smoke marijuana.
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A bong is a utensil...
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Utensil.
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An instrument, okay.
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Used to smoke marijuana.
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But what they do is
typically you see this with kids
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that are just starting
out to smoke marijuana.
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Okay.
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So this is their beginning,
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this is the very
first beginning signs,
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and they may not
be in their room,
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they could be, you
know, outside by the garage,
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you know, they
may be other places.
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But if you know that,
you know, what to look for,
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the crease here
and the perforation
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is a sign of
possible marijuana use,
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then you're going to
look further into things.
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So, yeah, typically this
is when they first start out,
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they're 12, 13, maybe 14,
and this is what they use.
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They place their
marijuana here...
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Should I, is it okay here?
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Yeah, no, please explain it.
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Yeah, and going along
with what you're saying,
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like part of that is
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because these young kids
can't go to the corner store
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and purchase a blunt or
a cigarillos or whatever.
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So but they can have,
soda cans are everywhere,
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so they get that,
they can go buy papers
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and do all those things,
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so they'd probably use
what they can find at home.
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Right.
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And this is, you know,
it's been shared with them.
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You know, their friend got
it from their older sibling
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or, you know, along
those lines is how that happens
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for the younger kids.
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So yeah, so they
just place it here
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and light it on fire,
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and then they typically
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will use this cut triangle area,
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and that's where
they'll inhale like that.
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So that's why that's a sign.
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But if you were just to
see it sitting on the floor
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in the ground...
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You wouldn't think a thing.
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You wouldn't
think a thing of it,
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you're just going to pick it
up with the rest of the trash
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and probably wouldn't
even look at it very closely,
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just be aggravated that,
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you know, yet again
picking up things that they know
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they should be throwing away.
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Right, right, right.
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Another sign is a lot of things
that make your room smell good.
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So, you know, if they
are smoking marijuana,
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and they're there, you know,
maybe more on a regular basis,
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they're going to try
to cover up that smell.
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So incense in the
room, and then I also have,
00:10:01.43\00:10:06.27
you know, some different,
you know, fragrant spray...
00:10:06.30\00:10:09.20
Air fresheners,
lots of air fresheners.
00:10:09.24\00:10:12.81
Are signs and
then again dryer sheets
00:10:12.84\00:10:16.04
that I have over
there, those are also a sign.
00:10:16.08\00:10:19.45
So if they're smoking
marijuana on a regular basis,
00:10:19.48\00:10:21.88
they're going to have
their incense burning,
00:10:21.92\00:10:23.52
they're going to have
sprayed their popery spray,
00:10:23.55\00:10:26.39
and then they're
going to have dryer sheets
00:10:26.42\00:10:28.72
laying around.
00:10:28.76\00:10:30.13
And what the dryer
sheets do is they absorb odors.
00:10:30.16\00:10:36.03
So they're going to absorb
the odor of the marijuana,
00:10:36.06\00:10:38.70
so they're going to line
their clothing drawers with it,
00:10:38.73\00:10:41.30
you're going to be like,
00:10:41.34\00:10:42.67
"Oh, I really hope they
put them in their shoes,
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or perhaps, you know, if
they ask you to clean feat."
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As a parent that's
what I would be thinking
00:10:46.21\00:10:48.28
if I didn't have the experience
that I gained with Gateway.
00:10:48.31\00:10:51.78
So I'd be like,
"Oh, that's fine,
00:10:51.81\00:10:53.18
it's going to make their
room smell better," you know,
00:10:53.21\00:10:56.28
but they're
typically not doing that for,
00:10:56.32\00:10:59.39
you know, the reason
that we would hope for,
00:10:59.42\00:11:02.19
they're doing to
disguise the smell.
00:11:02.22\00:11:04.73
So it goes in their drawers,
00:11:04.76\00:11:07.66
and just wherever the
clothes are to absorb,
00:11:07.70\00:11:11.10
to take it out of the clothes
00:11:11.13\00:11:12.47
so that the
parent doesn't smell.
00:11:12.50\00:11:14.37
I'm going to put
this in my gym bag,
00:11:14.40\00:11:16.07
I'm going to put
this in my backpack,
00:11:16.10\00:11:18.41
I'm going to line my drawers.
00:11:18.44\00:11:19.84
Yeah, or put it
over a toilet paper roll.
00:11:19.87\00:11:23.95
And that is another giveaway.
00:11:23.98\00:11:29.02
We have adolescent programs,
00:11:29.05\00:11:30.85
we have residential
programs at my facility,
00:11:30.89\00:11:33.02
so I had the
opportunity to be able to work
00:11:33.05\00:11:35.22
with adolescents
and hear their stories
00:11:35.26\00:11:37.16
and, you know, the
things that they did.
00:11:37.19\00:11:39.66
And this thing,
I had a young boy,
00:11:39.69\00:11:43.16
he was 16, started at 14.
00:11:43.20\00:11:46.80
I noticed that correlation.
00:11:46.84\00:11:49.27
He started smoking
marijuana around 14,
00:11:49.30\00:11:51.57
it became a regular use for him,
00:11:51.61\00:11:54.34
and he would get
high in his room,
00:11:54.38\00:11:57.31
be home all night long
00:11:57.35\00:11:59.81
and, you know, if
anybody was to ask...
00:11:59.85\00:12:03.08
Mom came in and out of the room,
00:12:03.12\00:12:04.45
it's not like mom
was not ever in the room.
00:12:04.49\00:12:06.99
You know, mom came in and
out of the room, checked on him,
00:12:07.02\00:12:09.06
you know, that type of
thing because a lot of times
00:12:09.09\00:12:10.69
teenagers are on their
cell phones or tablets...
00:12:10.73\00:12:12.86
Right, right.
00:12:12.89\00:12:14.33
You know, doing
something on the computer.
00:12:14.36\00:12:16.63
We all want them
to be doing homework,
00:12:16.67\00:12:18.43
but, you know, they're occupied
in their rooms for a while.
00:12:18.47\00:12:22.44
But I only put two
dryer sheets on this,
00:12:22.47\00:12:25.57
this is called the spool lift
and what they do with this...
00:12:25.61\00:12:29.04
And I found out two
dryer sheets is not adequate
00:12:29.08\00:12:31.48
from the boys in
my recovery home.
00:12:31.51\00:12:33.45
It takes about five
dryer sheets approximately.
00:12:33.48\00:12:36.55
Okay, I don't know
if you know, but...
00:12:36.58\00:12:39.79
You're familiar with this?
00:12:39.82\00:12:41.16
Yeah, I used that like
00:12:41.19\00:12:42.52
if you're at a college dorm room
00:12:42.56\00:12:44.59
or something like that,
and college apartment, yeah.
00:12:44.63\00:12:48.10
Yeah and what they do is
00:12:48.13\00:12:49.46
they put their
one header in here...
00:12:49.50\00:12:51.33
The what?
00:12:51.37\00:12:52.70
The one header or...
00:12:52.73\00:12:54.80
I have an example of one,
00:12:54.84\00:12:56.64
but it's used
to smoke marijuana.
00:12:56.67\00:12:58.77
And so it only
holds a very small amount,
00:12:58.81\00:13:01.91
so it's not like...
00:13:01.94\00:13:03.28
And I have some cigars
too to show you a lot of time
00:13:03.31\00:13:05.41
so hollow out cigars,
and there are some signs
00:13:05.45\00:13:07.82
that go with that, now
we can go over that too.
00:13:07.85\00:13:10.85
But they'll put their pipe
in here or their one header
00:13:10.89\00:13:15.02
or whatever
they're using to smoke
00:13:15.06\00:13:17.39
and they'll put that in
here so that the dryer sheets,
00:13:17.43\00:13:20.50
of course, are now
absorbing the smell,
00:13:20.53\00:13:22.70
and they'll
take a drag off of it
00:13:22.73\00:13:24.30
and they'll blow it all
the smoke here like this.
00:13:24.33\00:13:28.30
Mom and dad can walk in
the room five minutes later
00:13:28.34\00:13:31.97
and never smell the marijuana.
00:13:32.01\00:13:33.64
My child's been
home all night long,
00:13:33.68\00:13:36.08
I know that they
have not done anything,
00:13:36.11\00:13:39.45
they are not high,
00:13:39.48\00:13:40.88
they have not done
anything, they have been home,
00:13:40.92\00:13:43.89
I have been in and
out of that bedroom,
00:13:43.92\00:13:45.59
I know, but
they'll never smell it.
00:13:45.62\00:13:50.39
That boy got by
with it for two years.
00:13:50.43\00:13:54.10
I was never bold enough
to try that in your house.
00:13:54.13\00:13:56.43
And, you know, we want
parents to know like this is...
00:13:59.57\00:14:02.90
This program is not to show
your adolescent how to do it,
00:14:02.94\00:14:07.34
they already
know, they already know.
00:14:07.38\00:14:10.55
So don't think that,
"Oh, they're teaching...
00:14:10.58\00:14:12.55
Educating.
00:14:12.58\00:14:13.92
Yeah, educating
kids how to do it.
00:14:13.95\00:14:15.28
No, they already know,
00:14:15.32\00:14:16.65
you're the one that doesn't know
00:14:16.69\00:14:18.02
and that's why we're doing this
because I wouldn't have known,
00:14:18.05\00:14:21.39
I would not have known this,
so that's why we're doing this,
00:14:21.42\00:14:24.66
not because we want to
teach children how to do it,
00:14:24.69\00:14:27.53
they already know.
00:14:27.56\00:14:29.33
Yeah. Yeah.
00:14:29.36\00:14:32.07
And a lot of them do
especially in high school.
00:14:32.10\00:14:36.20
Something that is
going around in high school
00:14:36.24\00:14:39.07
that wasn't there
whenever I went to school
00:14:39.11\00:14:41.68
so this is kind of different.
00:14:41.71\00:14:43.81
But a lot of children
are on ADHD medications
00:14:43.85\00:14:48.12
or depression medications,
anxiety medicines...
00:14:48.15\00:14:50.29
Like Ritalin, Ativan.
00:14:50.32\00:14:51.65
Ritalin, Ativan
and things like that.
00:14:51.69\00:14:54.26
So medications prescribed
on a regular daily use level
00:14:54.29\00:14:59.16
is something that's a
norm now in our high schools.
00:14:59.19\00:15:02.96
And those prescriptions
are there for a reason,
00:15:03.00\00:15:04.87
those children
need those medications,
00:15:04.90\00:15:06.74
you know, in order
to help them focus,
00:15:06.77\00:15:08.34
in order to help
them pay attention
00:15:08.37\00:15:10.54
to be able to focus
and to make good grades.
00:15:10.57\00:15:13.11
So for the children
that they're intended for,
00:15:13.14\00:15:16.24
it's perfectly fine.
00:15:16.28\00:15:17.71
It's monitored by a physician,
you know, that type of thing.
00:15:17.75\00:15:21.62
But what kids
are, are opportunistic.
00:15:21.65\00:15:25.42
So whenever they're looking at
00:15:25.45\00:15:28.76
"Okay, you know, I heard if I,
00:15:28.79\00:15:30.53
you know, take
five or six of them
00:15:30.56\00:15:32.33
and I don't need it
00:15:32.36\00:15:34.26
because I don't suffer from ADHD
00:15:34.30\00:15:36.87
or, you know,
attention deficit disorder
00:15:36.90\00:15:39.20
or, you know, some other things,
00:15:39.23\00:15:41.14
hyperactivity, you
know, things like that.
00:15:41.17\00:15:44.71
I take several of those
00:15:44.74\00:15:46.07
and maybe drink a
little bit of alcohol with it,
00:15:46.11\00:15:47.98
it's going to give me a
pretty unique euphoric feeling
00:15:48.01\00:15:52.51
or a high feeling."
00:15:52.55\00:15:54.65
And so I talk to parents.
00:15:54.68\00:15:56.95
This is a
prescription right here
00:15:56.99\00:15:59.09
bottle that has no label on it.
00:15:59.12\00:16:01.92
And I talk to parents
00:16:01.96\00:16:03.32
if their children
are on ADHD medications.
00:16:03.36\00:16:06.80
You know, a lot of
times in high school
00:16:06.83\00:16:08.66
those children
are responsible enough
00:16:08.70\00:16:10.70
to take those on their own.
00:16:10.73\00:16:13.40
So a lot of
times they'll carry it
00:16:13.44\00:16:14.77
in their backpack
and things like that
00:16:14.80\00:16:16.44
and that's fine,
00:16:16.47\00:16:17.81
but they need to be monitored.
00:16:17.84\00:16:20.21
So there's two
things that can happen,
00:16:20.24\00:16:22.11
you know, they could easily,
you know, have some stolen,
00:16:22.14\00:16:26.01
that's unintentional,
00:16:26.05\00:16:27.38
you know, your
child's taking it regularly,
00:16:27.42\00:16:29.05
but now they've lost some
00:16:29.08\00:16:30.62
'cause someone has
taken some for wrong purposes
00:16:30.65\00:16:34.52
or they've shared
them with their friends.
00:16:34.56\00:16:37.56
But something that
children don't know is
00:16:37.59\00:16:40.13
that they're highly addictive
00:16:40.16\00:16:42.76
whenever you're looking at
abuse and taking multiples.
00:16:42.80\00:16:45.73
And if they're able to do
that for several days in a row,
00:16:45.77\00:16:49.57
then they can
actually form an addiction
00:16:49.60\00:16:52.14
to those medications.
00:16:52.17\00:16:54.08
Now they're not
knowledgeable about it,
00:16:54.11\00:16:55.74
they're just thinking
this is a neat thing to try
00:16:55.78\00:16:57.81
and, you know, Susie tried it,
00:16:57.85\00:16:59.75
and she's okay
and said it was fun.
00:16:59.78\00:17:02.52
So they're not
thinking about the big picture
00:17:02.55\00:17:04.75
because they don't know.
00:17:04.79\00:17:06.12
What are some of the
dangers involved in taking
00:17:06.15\00:17:09.69
someone else's
medication like that?
00:17:09.72\00:17:11.69
What are some of the
dangers, some of the things
00:17:11.73\00:17:13.26
that can happen to you?
00:17:13.29\00:17:14.63
Well, first of all,
00:17:14.66\00:17:16.00
it's not been
prescribed for them
00:17:16.03\00:17:17.67
for their any medical
condition that they have,
00:17:17.70\00:17:20.20
it's not being
monitored by a physician.
00:17:20.24\00:17:22.57
You don't know if
they may be hypersensitive
00:17:22.60\00:17:25.84
to one of the things, one
of the different components
00:17:25.87\00:17:28.71
in that drug, and
have, you know, a very...
00:17:28.74\00:17:34.08
It could be a really bad result
00:17:34.12\00:17:36.38
depending on their
reaction to something
00:17:36.42\00:17:38.32
if they are
hypersensitive, you know,
00:17:38.35\00:17:40.36
and that could
escalate from hallucinations
00:17:40.39\00:17:43.09
to, you know, even if
they're allergic to it,
00:17:43.12\00:17:46.53
you know, breaking out in hives,
00:17:46.56\00:17:47.90
and the similar to
if somebody was allergic
00:17:47.93\00:17:50.73
to bee stings or...
00:17:50.77\00:17:52.73
You don't know their response,
00:17:52.77\00:17:54.17
and it's not
monitored by a physician,
00:17:54.20\00:17:56.00
and it's not being
taken in a prescribed manner.
00:17:56.04\00:17:59.57
There is a lot of precautions
and things to look for
00:17:59.61\00:18:03.55
if a child was taking that
type of medication unintended.
00:18:03.58\00:18:08.12
And do they often mix that
with other things like alcohol,
00:18:08.15\00:18:12.49
so isn't there the risk
of alcohol toxicity as well
00:18:12.52\00:18:16.02
or some kind of drug toxicity
as a result of mixing the two?
00:18:16.06\00:18:20.26
They can still have
their effect medically,
00:18:20.30\00:18:23.70
I would have to ask a
physician to be clearly...
00:18:23.73\00:18:28.00
I know if they
take this and abuse it
00:18:28.04\00:18:29.80
or if they abuse alcohol,
00:18:29.84\00:18:31.17
some of the things to
look for that could happen
00:18:31.21\00:18:33.64
but mixing them together,
00:18:33.68\00:18:35.84
yeah, it definitely
intensifies the alcohol
00:18:35.88\00:18:38.51
because you already
have a euphoric feeling
00:18:38.55\00:18:40.68
from the prescription
medication that you...
00:18:40.72\00:18:43.02
Was not
intended for you to take.
00:18:43.05\00:18:45.42
So then you add
alcohol on that also,
00:18:45.45\00:18:48.79
you know, has that same effect,
00:18:48.82\00:18:51.99
and then that could
be an intensified effect.
00:18:52.03\00:18:56.73
Something else too I
talked to parents about
00:18:56.77\00:18:59.70
is to also look and make
sure that the pills are labeled
00:18:59.73\00:19:03.87
because if kids have
pills like in their possession
00:19:03.91\00:19:07.01
that came from Jimmy
that has the ADHD medication,
00:19:07.04\00:19:11.51
then a lot of times
they'll take a paper towel
00:19:11.55\00:19:14.42
and they'll rub off the label.
00:19:14.45\00:19:16.89
So they will de-label them
because they know mom and dad
00:19:16.92\00:19:19.79
are going to
take their phone out
00:19:19.82\00:19:21.42
and Google that.
00:19:21.46\00:19:23.56
The first thing
they're going to do,
00:19:23.59\00:19:24.93
this is not supposed to
be in my child's possession,
00:19:24.96\00:19:27.13
let's see what this is
00:19:27.16\00:19:28.50
and we're going to
Google that labeling.
00:19:28.53\00:19:30.17
So a lot of times
they'll rub the labeling off.
00:19:30.20\00:19:32.33
And then the other thing too is,
00:19:32.37\00:19:34.54
you know, even if they
are on certain medications,
00:19:34.57\00:19:37.01
not only the counter pills,
00:19:37.04\00:19:38.47
but in there is a pill
that shouldn't be in there.
00:19:38.51\00:19:42.88
Yeah, so I don't know if...
00:19:42.91\00:19:44.71
Can see it. Yeah, if they can.
00:19:44.75\00:19:46.38
They might not be
able to but we can see it.
00:19:46.41\00:19:48.32
Yeah, but you can see it.
00:19:48.35\00:19:49.68
That's the
different size and shape,
00:19:49.72\00:19:51.05
so we should
look at that as well
00:19:51.09\00:19:53.25
and see what's in there.
00:19:53.29\00:19:54.62
We all live busy lives today.
00:19:54.66\00:19:57.53
But, you know,
just a couple things
00:19:57.56\00:19:59.19
if you're aware of it,
00:19:59.23\00:20:00.56
it only takes a
couple seconds to look.
00:20:00.93\00:20:02.26
Right.
00:20:02.30\00:20:03.63
Yeah, yeah, even
over-the-counter bottles too,
00:20:03.67\00:20:06.80
kids going to hide
stuff in those as well.
00:20:06.84\00:20:09.14
They sure can.
00:20:09.17\00:20:11.71
What's this?
00:20:11.74\00:20:13.11
That is a bong.
00:20:13.14\00:20:14.98
Now I bought this at a
local gas station for $10.
00:20:15.01\00:20:20.72
So it's not like I
spend a lot of money,
00:20:20.75\00:20:23.55
this came from a local
here in Southern Illinois,
00:20:23.59\00:20:27.26
and I asked the
gas station attendant
00:20:27.29\00:20:28.92
because I know
what adolescent use this
00:20:28.96\00:20:31.26
and adults use this for.
00:20:31.29\00:20:32.63
This is a bong
00:20:32.66\00:20:34.00
and it's primarily
used to smoke marijuana in,
00:20:34.03\00:20:38.33
but I asked the
gas station attendant,
00:20:38.37\00:20:40.74
you know, what those
intended purposes were
00:20:40.77\00:20:43.87
that they had all
these smoking devices.
00:20:43.91\00:20:47.88
And he shared with me
that that was for tobacco use.
00:20:47.91\00:20:52.58
So that was open, it wasn't like
00:20:52.61\00:20:54.88
it was in a secret
area or in a smoke shop,
00:20:54.92\00:20:58.82
that was at a local gas
station next to the bubble gum
00:20:58.85\00:21:01.82
at the front
register and it cost me $10.
00:21:01.86\00:21:06.59
Yeah, you see a lot
of pipes too by those.
00:21:06.63\00:21:09.03
In smoke shops too
they used to have it
00:21:09.06\00:21:11.33
before like marijuana
became legal in some areas,
00:21:11.37\00:21:14.87
they used to
have that folded pipes
00:21:14.90\00:21:17.21
are for tobacco use only,
00:21:17.24\00:21:18.81
and the bongs for tobacco
use only and stuff like that.
00:21:18.84\00:21:21.78
But, you know, you
know that's not the case.
00:21:21.81\00:21:26.51
What's this?
00:21:26.55\00:21:27.88
Well, we didn't have vaping
whenever I went to school.
00:21:27.92\00:21:31.39
I don't even
know. What is vaping?
00:21:31.42\00:21:33.25
Vaping is primarily used,
00:21:33.29\00:21:35.59
it's supposed to
be used to help adults
00:21:35.62\00:21:38.69
that are addicted to cigarettes,
00:21:38.73\00:21:41.53
it's a different
form of smoking tobacco
00:21:41.56\00:21:44.30
that supposedly
doesn't have maybe
00:21:44.33\00:21:46.13
all the
different additives to it.
00:21:46.17\00:21:47.57
Like the e-cig? The e-cigarette?
00:21:47.60\00:21:49.07
Yes, like e-cigarette.
00:21:49.10\00:21:50.81
Now there's all kinds of
different versions of it.
00:21:50.84\00:21:53.48
Everything that I have
here, nothing came from online,
00:21:53.51\00:21:57.45
majority of it
came from donations
00:21:57.48\00:21:59.45
from local police department,
from Illinois state police,
00:21:59.48\00:22:03.42
so the things
that I have are things
00:22:03.45\00:22:05.39
that have been
confiscated from adolescents.
00:22:05.42\00:22:10.46
So for a vaping,
that actually came...
00:22:10.49\00:22:14.93
It's something
really big and popular.
00:22:14.96\00:22:16.93
They can vape marijuana.
00:22:16.97\00:22:20.17
So they can vape
marijuana with it,
00:22:20.20\00:22:23.10
they can vape tobacco with
it, but tobacco and marijuana
00:22:23.14\00:22:27.58
are both things that
a child in high school
00:22:27.61\00:22:30.51
shouldn't be doing.
00:22:30.55\00:22:32.01
Right, absolutely.
00:22:32.05\00:22:33.58
And, you know,
if they think that,
00:22:33.62\00:22:35.95
"Oh, it's not as
bad as cigarettes."
00:22:35.98\00:22:37.45
They don't think about
the other side effects,
00:22:37.49\00:22:39.39
that it's just as addictive.
00:22:39.42\00:22:41.72
You know, whenever
you're looking at smoking
00:22:41.76\00:22:44.03
to even just tobacco in them,
00:22:44.06\00:22:46.53
but a lot of times
it's also a gateway.
00:22:46.56\00:22:49.00
So whenever you had mentioned,
00:22:49.03\00:22:51.07
you know, different
things that you had tried,
00:22:51.10\00:22:53.44
there, there...
00:22:53.47\00:22:54.80
I believe that
there is gateway drugs
00:22:54.84\00:22:56.17
whenever it
comes to adolescents,
00:22:56.20\00:22:58.31
and I feel like marijuana
is definitely a gateway drug.
00:22:58.34\00:23:02.68
For those who don't
know what a gateway drug is,
00:23:02.71\00:23:05.41
I mean, I do know what that is,
00:23:05.45\00:23:07.55
but for the
viewer who doesn't know,
00:23:07.58\00:23:09.88
would you explain
what a gateway drug is?
00:23:09.92\00:23:12.05
A gateway drug is a
drug that opens the door
00:23:12.09\00:23:15.09
that seems
innocent, and seems small,
00:23:15.12\00:23:17.53
it doesn't seem like
you're doing something big like,
00:23:17.56\00:23:19.76
you know, "I'm not
shooting up heroin,
00:23:19.79\00:23:22.73
you know, I just tried
a little bit of marijuana
00:23:22.76\00:23:25.73
or I just drank a
little alcohol at a party."
00:23:25.77\00:23:29.84
Those are small
things that open the door
00:23:29.87\00:23:32.77
to exposure to
all the other drugs.
00:23:32.81\00:23:37.91
And it happens very slowly,
00:23:37.95\00:23:39.45
so it's not like all of a sudden
00:23:39.48\00:23:40.98
they smoked
marijuana, and 10 minutes later,
00:23:41.02\00:23:43.28
there's somebody
shooting up heroin.
00:23:43.32\00:23:45.19
You know, this
is a slow process,
00:23:45.22\00:23:46.92
and so that's why they refer,
00:23:46.96\00:23:49.09
you know, to it
as a gateway drug.
00:23:49.12\00:23:51.69
That's like sin too, like
when you look at sin, sin,
00:23:51.73\00:23:55.60
it's a gradual progression
and so, you do it once,
00:23:55.63\00:23:59.03
you like it, you do it again,
you like it a little bit more,
00:23:59.07\00:24:02.10
you do it again.
00:24:02.14\00:24:03.57
You begin to embrace it,
00:24:03.61\00:24:06.24
and then you're
looking for the next thing,
00:24:06.27\00:24:08.78
and that's the
same thing with drugs,
00:24:08.81\00:24:11.11
like with
marijuana, you can escalate.
00:24:11.15\00:24:14.55
Very true. Very true.
00:24:14.58\00:24:15.92
What are these
clips? Paper clips.
00:24:15.95\00:24:19.05
Those paper
clips, those are used...
00:24:19.09\00:24:21.86
A lot of times I set
them out in the bedroom,
00:24:21.89\00:24:25.03
let me just set them around.
00:24:25.06\00:24:26.93
And I talk to
parents that bent paper clips
00:24:26.96\00:24:30.13
are a sign of marijuana use.
00:24:30.17\00:24:32.17
If somebody is
regularly smoking marijuana,
00:24:32.20\00:24:36.24
they are going to
have some paper clips
00:24:36.27\00:24:38.47
that they have straightened out
00:24:38.51\00:24:39.84
so they can clean
something that builds up
00:24:39.87\00:24:41.91
in the pipes called resin.
00:24:41.94\00:24:44.11
So resin builds up,
00:24:44.15\00:24:45.48
and it kind of
blocks that pathway for them
00:24:45.51\00:24:47.62
to be able to
inhale the marijuana
00:24:47.65\00:24:49.35
that they're trying to smoke.
00:24:49.38\00:24:50.72
Okay. So they'll take bent...
00:24:50.75\00:24:52.52
They'll take paper
clips, they'll bend them out,
00:24:52.55\00:24:54.26
and then they'll
clean out their pipes,
00:24:54.29\00:24:55.86
and then they can
smoke some more marijuana.
00:24:55.89\00:24:58.09
So this is a sign.
00:24:58.13\00:24:59.46
So marijuana is
smoked through pipes,
00:24:59.49\00:25:00.83
not just the joint?
00:25:00.86\00:25:02.43
There's multiple different ways,
00:25:02.46\00:25:03.93
there's the can,
00:25:03.97\00:25:05.30
there's pipes, there's the bong.
00:25:05.33\00:25:08.57
This is a retainer container
00:25:08.60\00:25:11.84
and in here are two
different types of pipes,
00:25:11.87\00:25:16.18
one is a glass...
00:25:16.21\00:25:17.55
Here, I'll turn it this way.
00:25:17.58\00:25:18.91
One is a glass pipe
and one is a metal pipe
00:25:18.95\00:25:21.82
but they're the same thing.
00:25:21.85\00:25:23.55
And resin builds up
00:25:23.59\00:25:24.95
because they smoke
it off of the small end,
00:25:24.99\00:25:27.76
and they put the
marijuana in the larger area,
00:25:27.79\00:25:30.53
and they light that on
fire, and then they smoke it,
00:25:30.56\00:25:33.29
inhale it through the small end.
00:25:33.33\00:25:36.23
Well, that
pathway between the two
00:25:36.26\00:25:38.47
is where the resin builds up.
00:25:38.50\00:25:40.84
So that's where they
would take the bent paper clips
00:25:40.87\00:25:45.11
to clean it out.
00:25:45.14\00:25:46.47
So if you see a bent
paper clip and you throw it away
00:25:46.51\00:25:48.94
and you never see
anymore, then maybe not.
00:25:48.98\00:25:51.88
But if you're
seeing bent paper clips,
00:25:51.91\00:25:53.55
and you threw it away,
next week you got another one.
00:25:53.58\00:25:56.99
"Well, now I threw that
away, oh, there's two more.
00:25:57.02\00:26:00.76
All right, I'm
cleaning up the room."
00:26:00.79\00:26:03.29
You know, I wonder if
he's needing it for his,
00:26:03.32\00:26:05.53
you know, putting
his papers together
00:26:05.56\00:26:07.10
for a project or something.
00:26:07.13\00:26:09.00
And no, probably, if
you're seeing multiple
00:26:09.03\00:26:12.40
on separate occasions,
00:26:12.43\00:26:14.20
then you need to
look a little further
00:26:14.24\00:26:15.77
in your child's
room, in their car,
00:26:15.80\00:26:18.84
and maybe time to
have some conversations
00:26:18.87\00:26:20.84
with your child.
00:26:20.88\00:26:22.21
Yes, for sure, for sure.
00:26:22.24\00:26:23.78
What is this?
00:26:23.81\00:26:25.61
We're just, we're
down to like a minute.
00:26:25.65\00:26:27.72
Oh, okay.
00:26:27.75\00:26:29.25
This is an air duster.
00:26:29.28\00:26:31.79
And basically, a lot of times
we have computers in our rooms,
00:26:31.82\00:26:36.56
so you know, teenagers,
you know, are growing up,
00:26:36.59\00:26:38.86
I didn't have a
computer but they do,
00:26:38.89\00:26:41.60
they're doing the school work,
00:26:41.63\00:26:42.96
so as a parent
you look in the room,
00:26:43.00\00:26:44.63
you're like, "Oh,
good, they're dusting things.
00:26:44.67\00:26:48.04
Oh, I'm so glad."
00:26:48.07\00:26:50.27
As I pick up the
tinned soda cans in the car,
00:26:50.31\00:26:52.77
but I'm still
putting the laundry away,
00:26:52.81\00:26:54.21
but look, they're dusty.
00:26:54.24\00:26:56.88
So that's not always the case.
00:26:56.91\00:26:59.45
They're probably,
00:26:59.48\00:27:00.82
if they're not
neat to begin with,
00:27:00.85\00:27:02.28
that's probably not
them trying to be neat.
00:27:02.32\00:27:05.35
This is an inhalant,
00:27:05.39\00:27:06.89
just like if you would
think of back, a long time ago,
00:27:06.92\00:27:11.73
whenever you heard
of people hovering gas,
00:27:11.76\00:27:14.50
that's an inhalant,
spray cans of paint,
00:27:14.53\00:27:19.10
but see with paint
cans, there's maybe
00:27:19.13\00:27:21.47
some evidence that
they may have some,
00:27:21.50\00:27:23.81
you know,
leftover paint in that can.
00:27:23.84\00:27:27.01
Well, the air
duster, they don't.
00:27:27.04\00:27:29.28
So they spray
all the cleaner out,
00:27:29.31\00:27:31.88
and they will put
normally put a bag over it
00:27:31.91\00:27:35.72
and spray their
remaining because that...
00:27:35.75\00:27:39.49
After they sprayed
out the air duster product
00:27:39.52\00:27:41.86
and they're down to
the vapes and the fumes,
00:27:41.89\00:27:43.83
that's what they inhale.
00:27:43.86\00:27:45.29
Wow.
00:27:45.33\00:27:46.66
This is so
informative, this is great.
00:27:46.70\00:27:48.16
Yeah.
00:27:48.20\00:27:49.53
I'm so glad
we're doing a part two
00:27:49.56\00:27:51.13
because we have
some other items here
00:27:51.17\00:27:53.13
that we're going to talk about.
00:27:53.17\00:27:54.57
Thank you so much,
Michelle, this is...
00:27:54.60\00:27:57.07
You're just really teaching us,
00:27:57.11\00:27:58.97
thank you so
much for being here.
00:27:59.01\00:28:00.34
You're welcome.
00:28:00.38\00:28:01.71
Thank you so much
for the opportunity
00:28:01.74\00:28:03.08
to be here with
you, guys, today.
00:28:03.11\00:28:04.45
Absolutely.
00:28:04.48\00:28:05.81
Join us next time
00:28:05.85\00:28:07.18
'cause it wouldn't
be the same without you.
00:28:07.22\00:28:08.55