header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
April 15
1954 - Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden on streets of Newhall for filming of "Suddenly" [story]
Frank Sinatra


Message from City Manager Ken Striplin
| Tuesday, Aug 4, 2015
Ken Striplin

Ken Striplin

One of the topics we are very focused on at City Hall is combating drug use among teens. Informing and protecting our youth from the devastation of drug abuse is not just a city issue but also a global one.

In an effort to best educate and support a drug free lifestyle, we’ve teamed up with the Sheriff’s Department, county of Los Angeles 5th District, Hart School District and several nonprofit agencies to provide regular programs and education that is relevant and consistent.

In every junior and senior high school locally, we offer the Drug Free Youth in Town (DFYIT) program. This is a free, school-based, voluntary drug prevention program that complements law enforcement efforts, prevention and intervention programs.

Staying drug-free is a mandatory requirement for DFYIT membership, so confidential, random drug testing is conducted throughout the year. The tests are not meant to be punitive, but rather to give members a convenient excuse and an easy way out when pressured to use drugs. We have hundreds of students participating in the program on all of the junior and senior high school campuses.

DFYIT is more than an anti-drug program. It’s a grass-roots initiative aimed at changing perspectives on drug use within our community and society as a whole. Each campus club has its own unique culture and offers a venue for students to make friends, participate in community service opportunities, fun activities and leadership training and have positive experiences that encourage each individual to make good choices.

Annually, we sponsor a hard-hitting drug education and resource fair for parents and teens. This year’s program, “The Immature Teen Brain on Pot,” will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 26, beginning at 6 p.m.

In talking with our community partners who provide drug treatment and counseling, nearly without exception, all agree their clients all started their drug abuse by using marijuana. They also shared that they have seen that maturity can pretty much stop at the time the person starts using marijuana, which is why some young adults may have trouble making good decisions about drug use in their 20s.

I encourage you to attend the program and learn all you can about drug use, signs of drug use, real information about the impacts of marijuana use, and what you as a parent, friend, partner or concerned resident can do to help.

For more information about “The Immature Teen Brain on Pot,” visit www.heroinkills.org.

 

Ken Striplin is city manager of the city of Santa Clarita.

 

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

45 Comments

  1. Bart Joseph says:

    I agree that regulations on pot use is needed.

    Its disappointing to see our local government not embrace change and continues to ignore despensory regulations to cutoff drug supply. Big pharma did their part and put a gelling agent into co trolled pain killers popularizing herion. Remove the dealers remove the problem. Regulate it or more kids will die.

  2. Smoking Pot is a gateway to junk food.

  3. Alcohol can also lead to crack/ heroin/ and meth. Kids get bored of weed so they try more harder drugs like mentioned.

    • The addictive behavior is genetic. Their drug of choice may vary but they also tend to combine two or three. It starts in many homes and getting their first fed rug hit. Oftentimes it’s free. Weed, is a gateway drug and it’s wanting a higher high or to experiment with spice or bath salts etc. Boredom no, addicted yes.

    • Alcohol is the worst gateway drug. Idk why people think that Marijuana is a gateway drug. The only time I ever thought about doing harder stuff is when I was drunk.

    • If I was high on herb it wouldn’t be a logical step to do heroin or cocaine or meth. It just doesn’t happen like that.

  4. Maybe they should focus on educating all the junky parents as well and have the parents drug tested regularly. A vast majority of the kids in this valley are strung out on heroin as a result of the prescription pills that are available in the medicine cabinets of their own homes.

  5. They’ve also proven that all of those addicts started with Breast milk or formula. And I bet they all have eaten pizza too

  6. David Devlin David Devlin says:

    Why do you think they call it dope?

  7. If you want to limit teen marijuana use then legalize it and require vendors to check ID. Its currently easier for a teen to score a bag of weed than a 6 pack of beer because most recreational marijuana vendors do not check ID. However the gateway drug argument is so old and busted you should really come up with a new argument. Correlation is not equal to causation right?

    • It’s old, it’s still true only Marijuana is 10x stronger than in then”old” days. It’s still addictive but more so,and still a demotivating drug. I remember the hippies in the park.? the homeless are flocking to Colorado to get free drugs. You using?

    • Marijuana users do not experience physical addiction in the same way alcohol, and harder drug users do. It’s also naturally occuring, not synthetic like most everything else out there, yet so much time and energy is wasted to ban something that is naturally occuring in nature…this war on weed is both futile and laughable.

    • Homeless racing to Colorado for marijuana? I haven’t read or heard that, considering you have to have money to buy.

  8. More inflammatory propaganda from the City? Naaawww…

  9. Sean Cohen Sean Cohen says:

    Everybody turns into doctors n scientists when you start talkin bad bout weed

  10. Myk Halibut Myk Halibut says:

    The fact you labeled it as pot shows how uneducated you are about cannabis.

  11. Every reputable medical, neuroscience and neuropsychological reference I have read that address the cannabis gateway drug issue within the last 5 years agrees that it is in fact NOT A GATEWAY DRUG. Using pot does not CAUSE people to chose to use harder drugs when they would have otherwise refrained.

  12. Blake Frye Blake Frye says:

    What’s your post going to be like once weed is legalized in 2016..? Last election came close (54% opposed) surely more people will vote this time..

  13. Tawny Biggs says:

    I would love to hear from someone with an educated background most of the drug and alcohol treatment owners and counselors with certificates do not have any formal education and are trying to further their own FOR PROFIT business. Doctors and Psychologists need to be speaking on this topic NOT uneducated people trying to create fear in the public to profit their businesses.

  14. Tawny Biggs Tawny Biggs says:

    I would love to hear from someone with an educated background most of the drug and alcohol treatment owners and counselors with certificates do not have any formal education and are trying to further their own FOR PROFIT business. Doctors and Psychologists need to be speaking on this topic NOT uneducated people trying to create fear in the public to profit their businesses.

  15. Jason Moller Jason Moller says:

    You can plan to build habits at any age. Take care of your friends reputation adults and children.

  16. Jason Moller Jason Moller says:

    Apple Jacks. JHickerson is very bright and mature.

  17. I bet they all watched sesame street when they were kids too. We should ban that too

  18. Oh man. Whoever collaborated on this article REALLY needs to smoke to get a clearer picture of what it’s ACTUALLY like.

Leave a Comment


Opinion Section Policy
All opinions and ideas are welcome. Factually inaccurate, libelous, defamatory, profane or hateful statements are not. Your words must be your own. All commentary is subject to editing for legibility. There is no length limit, but the shorter, the better the odds of people reading it. "Local" SCV-related topics are preferred. Send commentary to: LETTERS (at) SCVNEWS.COM. Author's full name, community name, phone number and e-mail address are required. Phone numbers and e-mail addresses are not published except at author's request. Acknowledgment of submission does not guarantee publication.
Read More From...
RECENT COMMENTARY
Monday, Apr 15, 2024
Cowboy Festival weekend is upon us!
Thursday, Apr 11, 2024
Have you ever wanted to journey to another country to experience an array of new and unique cultures and customs?
Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024
In bustling Santa Clarita, where many residents lead busy lives and often feel divided and disconnected, there is a growing need for spaces that bring people together, fostering community and hope.
Monday, Apr 8, 2024
Each spring the city of Santa Clarita proudly showcases its cowboy culture and pays homage to its rich Western heritage during the one-of-a-kind Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival.
Thursday, Apr 4, 2024
Springtime, with all its blossoms and lovely weather is a popular time to get married. If you are looking to say “I do” at this picturesque time of year, look no further than City Hall Ceremonies.
Wednesday, Apr 3, 2024
It is anticipated that the three bylaw changes proposed by the CIF Sports Medicine Advisory Committee will pass this coming Friday, April 5 at the State CIF Federated Council meeting.

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit affirmed a $68.5 million judgment Monday for SCV Water for the cleanup of local groundwater contamination in its case against the Whittaker Corporation.
Federal Appeals Court Upholds SCV Water Judgment Against Whittaker
Angelo Aleman smacked a pair of home runs as College of the Canyons concluded its three-game series vs. Antelope Valley College with a 10-5 home victory at Mike Gillespie Field on Friday. 
Cougars Defeat Antelope Valley College 10-5
Castaic Union School District is thrilled to announce that Lara Frandzel has been selected to participate in the Teacher Innovator Institute at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C
Castaic Educator Selected for Smithsonian’s Teacher Innovator Institute
The city of Santa Clarita’s exciting Concerts in the Park series, presented by Logix Federal Credit Union, makes its highly anticipated return this summer for friends, families and neighbors to gather under the evening sky and enjoy free, live musical performances on Saturdays from July 6 to Aug. 24, at Central Park, located at 27150 Bouquet Canyon Road.
City Releases 2024 Concerts in the Park Lineup
The Master's University men's volleyball team left no doubt about it as they swept the OUAZ Spirit 25-22, 25-14, 25-22 in the season finale Saturday in The MacArthur Center.
Mustangs Capture First GSAC Season Title
Join the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District online for an engaging conversation with experts in the field as they discuss the latest advancements and future trends in vector control Monday, April 15, from 6 p.m to 7:30 p.m.
Register Now for Greater L.A. County Vector Control Fireside Chat
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, Child & Family Center is presenting a series of four seminars for parents and caregivers of children and teens.
Child & Family Center Offering Mental Health Seminar Series
The University Student Union at California State University, Northridge is helping Matadors keep their peace during finals season with Crunch Time.
Matadors Gearing Up for Finals at CSUN’s ‘Crunch Time’
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has been notified by the California Department of Public Health of one case of measles in a non-Los Angeles County resident who traveled throughout Los Angeles County from Saturday, March 30 to Sunday, April 1.
L.A. County Sites Identified for Possible Measles Exposure
California Department of Transportation, along with Valencia-based C.A. Rasmussen, continues to make progress on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing.
Wildlife Crossing Construction Prompts 101 Overnight Closures
The Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival is expanding its 2024 Summer Season to include a weekend of performances at the MAIN in July by members of this summer’s youth Shakespeare Camp.
Youth Show Added to Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival
The 28th Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival makes its anticipated return to William S. Hart Park, located at 24141 Newhall Avenue, this upcoming weekend!
City Announces Cowboy Festival Road Closures
With the federal and state deadlines for filing and paying taxes approaching in three days, Los Angeles County is also renewing its focus on taxes, with a special focus on enhancing its property tax correction and reimbursement processes.
L.A. County Aims to Speed Up Property Tax Corrections
The Los Angeles County Development Authority will be accepting registrants for its Senior and Family Public Housing Site-Based Waiting Lists, including Orchard Arms Senior Apartments in Valencia, from April 15, 8 a.m. through April 30, 11:59 p.m., or until a sufficient number of registrations have been received, whichever occurs first.
Orchard Arms Senior Housing Waitlist Now Open
Live jazz music, entertainment by talented William S. Hart Union High School District Students, music by Lance Allyn, be treated to happy hour, plus six seated courses - each one created by a different chef from your favorite local restaurants and paired with fabulous wines, local and statewide.
Wine on the Roof Tickets Still Available
Local realtor, Racquel Wilder, is hosting a free community paper shredding event Sunday, April 21, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., in the parking lot of Congregation Beth Shalom.
April 21: Free Community Paper Shredding Event
1954 - Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden on streets of Newhall for filming of "Suddenly" [story]
Frank Sinatra
2014 - "Become Ocean" by John Luther Adams (CalArts BFA 1973) named winner of 2014 Pulitzer Prize in Music [story]
John Luther Adams
A special meeting of the William S. Hart Union High School District’s Governing Board will be held 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17. It will be followed by the regular meeting of the Hart Board at 7 p.m.
April 17: Hart District to Choose Search Firm, Offer Hart Mascot Presentation
1935 - Gladys Carter convicted of manslaughter in fatal shooting of Frances Walker, of the Placerita Walkers [story]
Gladys Carter
The Santa Clarita Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, April 16, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd. 1st Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
April 16: Planning Commission to Discuss Town Center Specific Plan
Hundreds of residents joined the Santa Clarita City Council and dignitaries on Saturday, Aprl 6, for the grand opening of the city’s newest amenity, Skyline Ranch Park. Marking the 38th park in the community, the 10.5-acre park offers activities for everyone.
Santa Clarita Opens 38th Park, Skyline Ranch Park
The Saugus Union School District is seeking qualified, interested individuals to serve on the district’s Asset Management Advisory Committee.
SUSD Seeks Applicants for Asset Management Advisory Committee
SCVNews.com