St. Joseph Post
With students getting ready to head back to school, the Buchanan County Drug Strike Task Force wants kids to know about the dangers of drugs. Shawn Collie, with the Buchannan County Drug Strike Force, says younger children may be especially curious about drugs.
"Whether its THC or marijuana type products, we're seeing copycat products, like candy, being made to attract the attention of younger kids."
Some of those copycat products could look like well-known candies, such as Skittles, M&Ms, or Warheads.
Collie says while THC levels in those products may be fine for adults, children's immune systems do not have the tolerance for these types of drugs.
"We sometimes see overdoses or allergic reactions. A child may be on medication for a medical condition and the introduction of another drug, alcohol, or tobacco could have a negative effect on that child," Collie says.
Drug trends have changed over the years and Collie sees drug prevention and education as a big part of the job for members of the Drug Strike Force.
"A lot of the prevention we used to do was in the high schools, but what we're seeing with drug trends is that whether its alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs, younger and younger kids are trying them."
Collie says the Drug Strike Force tries to make contacts with schools, churches and other groups, and have conversations about drug prevention in 2nd and 3rd grade, on up.
Collie adds, "If we can do education and prevention early, that can save the enforcement side later in life."