Red Bank Regional High School Hosts Drug Expert To Teach Parents

LITTLE SILVER, NJ - Using a mock teen's bedroom, an agent from the state Drug Enforcement Agency talked to Red Bank Regional parents about how resourceful teens can be in hiding illegal drugs in plain sight.

Think about a baseball cap, a can of soda, a picture frame, a stereo speaker, tennis balls, a cute little glass dinosaur figurine. What do they all have in common? Teenagers have found clever ways for these everyday items, commonly found in their rooms, to hide their illicit drug activity.

Arranged by Red Bank Regional High School Student Assistance Counselor Lori Todd, Special Agent Timothy P. McMahon, public information officer for the DEA, discussed the clandestine uses for these common items.

The inside flap of a baseball cap, like the back of a picture frame, the crevices of a speaker, a slit tennis ball and even the space between an electrical outlet and its cover often are used to hide drugs, McMahon told his audience. A soda can can be crunched to create a hole for a drug bowl, with the flip-up top opening serving as a makeshift pipe, he explained.

A little figurine like a little tiny glass dinosaur commonly is sold on the internet as an incognito pipe, he said. When turned over, its hollow belly holds drugs which when lit are inhaled through the dinosaur’s tail.

All these items can be stored innocently on the bureau, the night stand or on the bed of teenager’s mock room which was set up in the RBR auditorium for parents to walk through and examine.

Other items like lipstick or highlighter markers were revealed to be drug paraphernalia. Parents were warned to beware if they suddenly discover pipe cleaners, unusual amounts of lint or steel wool. Missing spoons from the cutlery draw are another give-away: all are utencils of a teen-ager using drugs.

Forewarned is forearmed, according to McMahon who encouraged parents to make a sweep of their child’s room often, whether the child is present or not. Regarding privacy issues that all teenagers claim to discourage discovery, he told the parents, “They don’t own that room. You do. And they are temporarily residing in it."

Further, he said in a prepared release, parents also are the owners of their child's treasured mobile phone or other smart device. Such electronics needs to be examined regularly, he advised.

“No longer is a drug user the stereotype of a junkie shooting up in a back-alley," McMahon said to parents. " You are the demographic this concerns.”

Every day, 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time. Some become addicted after a legitimate injury or because physicians may over-prescribe, experts said. Statistics show that America consumes 70% of the world’s pain medicines which has contributed to this epidemic which is now fueled by cheap, plentiful and deadly heroin, he said.

Addicts can easily switch from expensive pain killers or oxycodone to heroin since the chemical composition is almost identical. Sometimes, heroin is spiked by a fatal pinch of fentanyl which is 80 times more potent than morphine. The result has devastated families and communities throughout America with more than 64,000 drug overdose deaths a year, the majority of which are young people, experts said.

Red Bank Regional Superintendent Lou Moore described the district's policy when help is sought by a child or parent. "No punitive action is taken” unlike the protocols that kick in when the school suspects usage, he said. Parents were encouraged; therefore, to come to administration should they have any suspicions.

Officials also discussed vaping, an activity that has grown very popular as an alternative to smoking. Todd explained that the misconception exists among students as well as parents that it is harmless.

“The research is still not conclusive and injuries such as 'popcorn lung' have been reported where the water vapor does ill-affect the user’s health," she said. "Additionally, it is very easy for vaping wands to be retrofitted with drugs for illicit drug use. "

The DEA agent also gave constructive advice to “pay attention to small things” that might change in your child’s life and talk to them and don’t be afraid to ask questions," he said. "Know their friends and seek help if needed. And never say, ‘not my child.’”

Syringes used to inject heroin are found by some railroad tracks in Philadelphia. Photograph by Matt Rourke/Associated Press.