By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
An awful lot of Bowling Green parents probably snooped around in their kids’ bedrooms Wednesday evening.
Does the innocent looking hairbrush have a secret compartment for drugs? Is that flash drive really for vaping? Why would their child need a flask?
An auditorium full of parents at Bowling Green City Schools learned steps to stop their kids from starting dangerous behaviors and how to recognize if they had already begun during the “Hidden in Plain Sight” program.
“We feel a moral obligation to help you as parents,” said Bowling Green High School Assistant Principal Dan Black.
First, parents were told to talk with their kids about drugs, alcohol and other risky behaviors.
“We want you to start talking to your kids,” said Kayla DeMuth, from Hancock County Public Health. Talking with kids at an early age can decrease the chances of teens using drugs and alcohol by 50%, she said.
Next, snoop in their rooms, bookbags and cell phones.
On stage a typical adolescent bedroom was set up, with a messy bed, nightstand, bookshelves, dirty laundry bag, desk and chair. DeMuth asked five parents to go on stage and look for red flags.
The parents found cigarettes in the backpack, a flask for alcohol, rolled up money, and much more.
“This is not a vase. This is a bong,” one mom said holding up the device that had flowers in it.
There were several “diversion safes,” with hidden compartments for drugs in a shoe sole, a hat with an inside zipper, and a dental floss container. Everyday items like water bottles, pop cans, and Pringle cans can have twist off ends made to hold drugs, DeMuth showed.
Parents who may have been relieved that they haven’t smelled marijuana from their kids’ rooms, may want to check for toilet paper rolls with dryer sheets stuffed inside, that act as air filters for marijuana smoke.
Those parents who have ignored the Swisher Sweets cigar wrappers, may want to take a second look. Some kids strip out the tobacco and stuff them with marijuana.
“If you see these laying around, maybe they’re smoking marijuana,” DeMuth said.
And what about that key fob that is actually a scale to weigh drugs? The baking soda that is cut into heroin to make it stretch? Or the bottle of fake urine to pass a drug test?
Addicts can be very creative, DeMuth said. Some soak gummy bears in alcohol, or soak tampons in alcohol and wear them to school to get drunk fast.
Signs that kids are dealing include multiple cell phone and lots of $5, $10 and $20 bills, said Wood County Sheriff’s Office Detective Ryan Richards.
The parents also heard from a 2009 BGHS grad, Matt Ruehl, who has been drug-free for 17 months. In school, he had played varsity hockey and baseball for four years.
Ruehl remembers first drinking alcohol in junior high.
“I got it from high school kids who got it from older friends,” he said.
Next he used weed, then cocaine, and oxycontin after a hockey injury. He switched over to heroin because it was cheaper.
“I would do anything I had to to get the dope,” Ruehl said. “It’s not like I thought I was going to become an addict. Nobody does.”
At the height of his habit, he went through about $100 a day on heroin. He manipulated family and friends, stole money from his workplace, and broke into cars to steal spare change.
Then on Aug. 20, 2018, Ruehl and his best friend drove up to Toledo to get drugs. Richards explained that many drug dealers won’t come into Wood County to sell since the law enforcement and courts here are much tougher than in Toledo.
Ruehl woke up 18 hours later in the hospital. “I don’t remember anything,” he said.
Richards explained that after Ruehl overdosed, his friend tried to drag his body outside since his friend was on parole and didn’t want to get into trouble. But he left Ruehl laying by the front door.
When Ruehl’s family and employer reported him missing, Bowling Green police tried to get into his home.
“Matt is blocking the front door, slowly dying,” Richards said.
Photos taken by Ruehl’s mom show him lying helpless in a hospital bed. But 17 months later, Ruehl now talks with parents and students about his drug abuse and recovery.
Parents were also warned to be aware of their kids’ social media and cell phone activity. Bowling Green Police Detective Scott Frank talked about how easily kids can become victims of unknown predators.
Some social networking sites are known for cyber-bullying, trolling, swatting and encouraging suicidal behavior. Tik Tok video sharing is notorious for showing unexpected adult content.
“It says it’s nice and warm and fuzzy. It’s not,” Frank said.
The detective suggested use of parental control apps that allow screen time restrictions, call and text monitoring, location tracking, and content filters.
“If you have kids that have a phone, make an investment,” he said.
But parents need to do more.
“These apps alone aren’t enough to keep your kids safe,” Frank said. “You need to talk to your kids.”
And parents need to set boundaries. If a child won’t share the phone password with his parents, then the parents should take the phone, he said.
“Your job as a parent is to be a parent – not to be a friend,” Frank said. “Go through their phone.”
“Kids are savvy. Unfortunately we’re always one step behind them,” he said.
Parents were offered further tips by the speakers, such as:
- Parents should keep track of their own medications, and dispose of them properly when no longer needed.
- Cigarettes have been replaced by vaping with kids. “Vaping is the new nicotine tobacco epidemic,” DeMuth said, showing how many vaping devices are made to look like pens, flash drives or Sharpie markers. “It’s very easy to hide them up their sleeves and take a hit during class. A new generation is getting hooked.”
- CBD oil is often unregulated, and can easily be added to foods, like injecting marijuana in a brownie. “You can bake with this stuff,” Richards said.
- Crystal meth use is on the rise. “Meth is coming back. It’s extremely cheap,” Richards said. He showed a video of a woman on meth. “When you’re on meth, you can’t sit still.”
- Parents need to set good examples for their children.
A drug sweep of Bowling Green Middle School and High School was conducted on Wednesday morning using several K-9 units. The school was under lockdown as the lockers, backpacks and cars in the parking lot were sniffed. One student was cited for having alcohol, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
“It tells the kids we’re watching, we’re coming,” Black said of the sweep.
