LAKE COUNTY — Drug use on school campuses came into the spotlight last week when three Lower Lake High School students overdosed on the prescription muscle relaxant baclofen. Law enforcement officers and administrators continue to face the issue.
“In our experience ? I handle most of the expulsions for the district ? very few of our drug discipline cases involve anything other than marijuana. Occasionally, it”s prescription drugs ? someone gets their mom”s or grandma”s medicine. Usually they”re painkillers. It”s relatively rare,” Konocti Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Cliff Lantz said.
Carl Miller is the Clearlake Police Department”s school resource officer for Konocti Unified School District, which serves approximately 3,200 students K?12. Miller said he frequently cites middle and high school students at school for possession or being under the influence of marijuana.
“It”s the most easily obtainable (drug). When Lake County has been number one the last three years in the number of marijuana plants confiscated, there”s going to be a trickle-down effect,” Miller said.
Miller said between September and November ? harvest time for marijuana ? he issues two to three citations a day.
“As everyone starts smoking it up, we don”t have as many (citations) because there is not as much around. Now it”s about two to three a week.” Of those, repeat offenders make up about half, according to Miller.
Miller said he hands out citations to students found under the influence or in possession of an illegal drug the majority of the time.
“I don”t have the opportunity to lodge juveniles in juvenile hall as much as I would like, because I don”t have the time to transport them. So I find myself issuing citations in the field, on campus, for a later court date.”
Miller said he gets an average of 13 to 17 calls for service per day between the district”s 10 campuses, and arrests between five and nine students per week.
“There have not been any (cases) I”ve been involved in where there was a conspiracy of students working together. Usually, one child is either selling marijuana they got from an older friend or found somewhere in the home or sharing it with friends,” Lantz said.
Miller is one of 14 certified drug recognition experts in the state. He said yard duty supervisors and students give him tips, and he uses MySpace to get information. He said last week”s prescription drug incident was the second this year, but not an isolated incident.
“This is a whole underground world. We”re lucky to get one out of 100,” Miller said.
Lake County Superintendent of Schools Dave Geck said drug and alcohol use in schools is “not on a steep rise,” but was identified as a priority in applying for grant funds.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
