Through investigation, recent findings have revealed that Alliance High School has a drug problem; many of its students are using marijuana and other drugs. This finding lead to the need for someone educated about the dangers of smoking, drinking, and other drugs to speak to the student body about his observations and experiences.
That is what brought a local state patrolman stationed in Scottsbluff to AHS on January 31. For twelve years Chuck Elley has been speaking to students in middle schools and high schools about drugs and alcohol abuse and he says it is one of his passions. He came and spoke to the AHS student body ready tell them the truth behind the often-glamorized use of drugs and alcohol.
According to Trooper Elley, Box Butte County was recorded as having the highest per capita crime rate in the state, including big cities such as Omaha and Lincoln. In Officer Elley’s opinion and based on the investigations he has been involved in, there is one main driving factor behind such a high crime rate: the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol.
In many of his cases, he sees gruesome incidents in which the abuser loses interest in every day life. One of the more moving incidents he shared with Alliance High students involved a thirteen-month-old girl found dead in her home. After a macabre autopsy they came to the conclusion that she had died from dehydration, brought on by an ear infection and high fever. One of her parents had been making and using drugs and neglected to care for her, the other was incarcerated for drug use. Trooper Elley discussed the emotional impact the case had on him. In a private interview, he admitted that there are many other horrible cases he could have shared, but they were not “age appropriate.”
Trooper Elley discussed at length the influencing factors that can lead to a person’s initiation into drug use. He said the media and the music industry are major influences of drug use because they project an image that it is cool or accepted to use drugs. Some artists, such as Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg, are prominent faces in the “weed” community and sing or rap about using drugs in their songs. Another artist, Eminem, who also had drug problems, constantly rapped about various drugs, such as marijuana and Vallium and Vicoden, prescription drugs used for unintended reasons, which was also one of the topics Trooper Elley discussed. According to him, these drugs can be easily purchased and are very dangerous if overused, causing death and permanent injury to the brain and to the nervous or cardiovascular system.
One of the main points in Trooper Elley’s presentation was the use of methamphetamines. He brought with him many clips showing people under the influence of meth and he discussed what users are capable of and what psychological and physical issues they may undergo.
According to Elley, while under the influence of meth, the resting heart rate is between 220 and 110, while the normal rate is in the ballpark of 60 and 75. When meth is used 1200 grams of dopamine is produced and released into the brain, causing pain and many other senses to be numbed out and giving the user the ability to do some things that shouldn’t be tolerable to the normal human, such as pulling out their own hair. In addition these people, with such a high heart rate, are unable to sleep for days at a time. In one case he shared a man in California didn’t sleep for 32 days before dying from sleep-deprivation. Some users reassure themselves that they will only do meth once and will not become addicted, but most fail to only try it and not use it again.
Depression and dependence are common occurrences and can be dangerous for both the user and anyone close enough to be hurt by his or her actions. Some long-term signs of abuse, according to Elley, include disinterest in previously enjoyed activities, weight loss, irritability, and sores in and around the mouth.
To figure out whether or not someone has taken methamphetamines, Trooper Elley said an officer will shine a light into the person’s eyes. If the pupil does not dilate correctly, they know some form of nervous suppressor is present. Another warning sign is the smell of the person in question. Certain drugs cannot be absorbed by the body. This forces the substance to seep out through pores on the skin in the form of sweat. The smell of this sweat can be putrid and hard to stomach. “Meth mouth” can also be an identifier because of the grinding down of the teeth, the lack of saliva, and the overall neglect of the mouth. Scars on the skin from where the user has picked at sores are also viable evidence of meth use.
To hit a little closer to home, Elley retold a case that occurred in Bushnell, Nebraska, when a woman was taken into custody after she was found having a conversation with a tree. This may sound laughable, but the seriousness of the case was no laughing matter. A video taken during an interrogation to determine what drug she had used showed that it was impossible for her to sit still and that she didn’t seem to know her actions were anything out of the ordinary. This is a normal occurrence with someone under the influence of methamphetamines.
America, according to Sheriff Elley, represents only about four percent of the world’s population, but consumes roughly two thirds of the total amount of illegal drugs worldwide. This has shown to have a direct influence on academics and America’s ability to compete in the world stage. And, unfortunately, the effects of drug use are becoming more prevalent as the years pass and the drugs continue to affect their education. These users are pulling down the average scores of the general population and projecting lower numbers in the whole scheme of academics nationwide.
Drug use not only affects the academics, but athletics as well. According to numbers Elley quoted from the American Athletic Institute, alcohol is said to reduce performance potential in elite athletes up to 11.4% with one use and roughly 20-30% in high school athletes. It can also impair reaction time for up to 12 hours after consumption. Alcohol use, he said, can negate as much as fourteen days of training, and affect the function level of the heart, lungs, and muscles.
Marijuana was also a main topic for discussion, especially with its recent legalization in Colorado and prominent use in the panhandle of Nebraska. It has come up on multiple occasions that Alliance High School students are in possession of it, but what is this drug and what is it capable of?
Marijuana, Elley said, is a drug made from Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica, both providers of THC, a mind-altering chemical. But Elley said the marijuana of today is not the marijuana of the 1960’s. The level of THC in todays marijuana is seven times more potent than that of even 20 years ago, skyrocketing from a meager one percent to seven. Marijuana use slows down reaction times and can cause an average 8-point IQ loss, potentially dropping a person from average IQ range into the lower third portion of the IQ scale.
When one student asked Trooper Elley how many people a year die under the influence of marijuana, Elley stated, “The number one killer in the United States is cigarette smoke… second is alcohol… but marijuana can also be the cause for lung cancer and of motor vehicle accidents, which is third,” so it is deadly as well. It is just not always clear how many cases of lung cancer and how many car wrecks can be attributed to it. This is a very controversial issue where many studies have been conducted, but according to many reliable sources, there have been no deaths that are directly related to the use of marijuana, such as in overdoses, and the life expectancy of a marijuana user does not seem to be altered in any way from that of someone who has never used it. Trooper Elley reminded students, however, that although there is no direct cause of death, it is still cause for worry and danger if used before operating a vehicle and that it has been linked to lung cancer by the British Lung Institute.
According to Elley, there are three Gateway drugs: alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. In a study, 85% on people who smoke marijuana will try other drugs because each marijuana high will be smaller than the one before it until the person seeks a new way to get high and branches out to other drugs. A common slang term used for this process is “Chasing the paper dragon.” In this way, marijuana serves as a sort of training ground for other, far more devastating drugs, such as meth and cocaine, which can lead to even more serious problems and consequences.
Bath Salts were another focus of the Trooper’s presentation. Bath Salts are a type of synthetic marijuana and used to be legal for sale in Nebraska convenience and department stores and still is in other parts of the country, but not in Nebraska. Bath Salts are used by students and are publicized on the Internet. Trooper Elley shared the case of Dickey Sanders, a professional BMX rider who told his parents he spent forty dollars on Cloud Nine Bath Salts which sent him into hallucinations and influenced him to commit suicide.
Right here in the panhandle in Bridgeport, Elley says, he had eight sixth-graders admit to smoking Bath Salts. And a teenager in Sidney, Nebraska, drove his truck through a house after he tried Bath Salts for the first time. This young man ended up going to Lincoln to testify on behalf of efforts to make the drug illegal, stating that no one can handle the drug’s affects. Elley also told the students about the California case where a homeless man ate the face off of another man after using Bath Salts.
The last issue discussed at the presentation was Nebraska’s “Social Host Law.” This law deals with the parents who host parties where drugs or alcohol are present. These parents, Elley said, are liable for the damages or deaths that may occur because of the actions of the kids to whom they provided drugs or alcohol.
Elley is very passionate when it comes to speaking in front of young adults about making good decisions with their health and futures. His presentations are his way of getting the message out and receiving feedback. Trooper Elley was inspired to speak by the many experiences he hashed in his field of work and because of seeing the aftermaths of many tragedies. His main philosophy is that you are responsible for your choices because, Elley says, “Decisions you make can and will decide your future,” and the use of drugs can cripple dreams and crush what lies ahead of you.
