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
May 8
1875 - John F. Powell, an Irish immigrant, becomes Justice of the Peace [story]
John F. Powell


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 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 says:

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

  10. 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 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 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 says:

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

  16. 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, May 6, 2024
Warmer weather, longer days and the sound of baseball is officially back!
Monday, May 6, 2024
In an effort to bolster local businesses, Los Angeles County just launched the Entertainment Business Interruption Fund, a $4.1 million grant program aimed to serve businesses that were impacted by the Hollywood strikes and the pandemic.
Monday, May 6, 2024
As a City dedicated to inclusivity and community, we aim to create world-class events to bring our residents together.
Thursday, May 2, 2024
As we kick off the new month, I am proud to reflect on the incredible growth and achievements we've witnessed over the past four months.
Thursday, May 2, 2024
With spring in full effect, now is the best time to hit the trails and enjoy the natural scenery of Santa Clarita.
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Imagine a day where barriers dissolve and possibilities unfold, a day dedicated to celebrating diversity and fostering inclusivity.

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
1875 - John F. Powell, an Irish immigrant, becomes Justice of the Peace [story]
John F. Powell
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with Friends of Castaic Lake will host Bark in the Park on Saturday, June 8 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
June 8: Bark in the Park at Castaic Lake
California State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, announced that 18 of her bills have successfully passed out of their respective Assembly policy committees, with most now moving to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Schiavo Announces Key Progress on Legislation Package
A 10-week Life Skills course underwritten by the Old West Masonic Lodge No. 813 in Newhall will be offered free to Santa Clarita Valley youth.
Free Life Skills Classes for SCV Youth
The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency will hold a special board meeting on Monday, May 13 at 6 p.m. Board meetings have been temporarily relocated to the SCV Water Agency Training Room location at 23780 Pine St., Newhall, CA 91321.
May 13: SCV Water Holds Special Board Meeting
The 2024 California Institute of the Arts graduation ceremony will be held Friday, May 10 on the Valencia campus of CalArts. Honorary Degree recipients will include actor Keanu Reeves and director/writer/producer Gina Prince Bythewood.
May 10: Keanu Reeves, Gina Prince Bythewood CalArts Graduation Honorees
Graduation season is around the corner for the graduating seniors of the William S. Hart Union High School District.
Hart High School District Graduation Schedule
Members of the California Institute of the Arts community, industry representatives and friends and family journeyed to Los Angeles's Miracle Mile neighborhood to celebrate Character Animation students’ films at the 2024 Character Animation Producers’ Show.
CalArts 2024 Character Animation Producers’ Show
Princess Cruises, headquartered in Valencia, has announced it will return to San Juan, Puerto Rico after more than a decade, for a season of Southern Caribbean cruises onboard Grand Princess, from October 2025 through March 2026.
Princess Cruises Announces Return to San Juan, Puerto Rico
Join the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, May 15, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., for the monthly After Hours Mixer, an evening of networking and fun at Chronic Tacos.
May 15: SCV Chamber After Hours Mixer at Chronic Tacos
Get ready to level up your small business game. The next Los Angeles Region Small Business Summit will be held Thursday, May 9 and features Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, Los Angeles County Team Department of Economic Opportuntiy, city of Los Angeles and partners at Mission College in Sylmar.
May 9: Free Small Business Summit at Mission College
College of the Canyons has captured the 3C2A Southern California Regional Championship, the ninth in program history, after turning its opening round lead into a four-stroke advantage over runner-up Cypress College on Monday, May 6 at Rio Bravo Country Club.
COC Men’s Golf Wins SoCal Title, Advances to State Championship
When every second counts, blood products can provide lifesaving care. The American Red Cross asks the public to give blood or platelets during Trauma Awareness Month in May to keep hospitals prepared for all transfusion needs, including emergencies.
May is Trauma Awareness Month, Blood, Platelet Donors Needed
The city of Santa Clarita has announced the pickleball courts at Bouquet Canyon Park will be closed on Wednesday, May 8, for necessary maintenance on the windscreens.
May 8: Bouquet Canyon Park Pickleball Courts Closed for Maintenance
The California Animal Welfare Association, the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have announced the inaugural California Adopt-a-Pet Day will take place on Saturday, June 1.
June 1: Inaugural California Adopt-a-Pet Day
1861 - Andres Pico and partners granted state franchise to build toll road and cut 50-foot-deep cleft through (Newhall) Pass; they failed; Beale later succeeded [story]
Andres Pico
Gilbert, Arizona's Leah Burke has signed her National Letter of Intent to play soccer at The Master's University.
Lady Mustangs Add Leah Burke to Soccer Roster
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa  - The Master's University struggled against a high-energy Georgetown (KY) Tigers squad, losing in straight sets 23-25, 18-25, 20-25 in the championship match of the 2024 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Volleyball Championships.
Mustangs Drop NAIA Championship Game
College of the Canyons student-athletes Nichole Muro (softball) and Owen Crockett (men's golf) have been named the COC Athletic Department's Women's and Men's Student-Athletes of the Week for the period running April 29 to May 4.
COC Names Nichole Muro, Owen Crockett Athletes of the Week
Step into the Heart of 1970s Texas at The MAIN as Front Row Center presents, "Lone Star, Laundry, and Bourbon."
‘Lone Star, Laundry, and Bourbon’ Coming to The MAIN
Warmer weather, longer days and the sound of baseball is officially back!
Ken Striplin | Santa Clarita Dodger Day Celebrates 45 Years
Mental Health Hookup, in partnership with Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, will conduct the third annual Stop the Stigma community event on May 18, from 10 a.m. to  2 p.m., on the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital campus, located at 23803 McBean Parkway in Valencia.
May 18: Stop the Stigma Community Event
California State University, Northridge is set to open a first of its kind resource center in the CSU system to provide basic needs services such as food, clothing and wellness in a centralized location on campus.
CSUN Set to Open First of Its Kind Student Resource Center
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of three productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, May 6 - Sunday, May 12.
Three Productions Filming in Santa Clarita
SCVNews.com