Breezy Point Police Chief Kevin Merschman showed examples of methamphet-amine and marijuana that the police department had seized to the citizens attending the drug abuse awareness presentation.

Knowledge is the first step to understanding and combating a problem.

And about 10 members of the Breezy Point community took that first step Thursday night, Jan. 28.

The Breezy Point Police Department gave a presentation on drug abuse awareness, led by Officer Joe Garcia, who is one of only two drug recognition experts in Crow Wing County.

The presentation mainly focused on drugs that are prevalent in the area and how to recognize the signs of drug use.

Garcia said drugs used to be a part of the counter-culture or taboo. Now they are a part of mainstream society, and most of the major stigma associated with drug use has gone away. A 2007 statistic showed that 19.9 million people over age 12 (8 percent) have used illegal drugs in the past month.

Reasons Garcia provided for young people taking drugs are to fit in, escape or relax, or to relieve boredom.

The four main drugs or drug groupings Garcia covered were alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine and prescription and over-the-counter medications.

The No. 1 most abused drug is alcohol. Garcia said a study in 2008 showed that 52.5 percent of 10th-graders had reported drinking alcohol.

Garcia told parents to watch their children for an alcohol odor, slurred speech, bottles or bottle caps saved as souvenirs, as well as hangovers.

Marijuana is the most abused illegal drug and, Garcia said, today's pot isn't the same as the pot in 1974.

In 1974, the level of Delta9-tetrahydrocannobinol (THC), the chemical that actually makes the person high, was around 1 percent. The levels of THC had increased to 9.6 percent in 2008.

If parents thinks a child is abusing marijuana, they should look for paraphernalia and physical changes.

Paraphernalia includes rolling papers, pipes, bongs or paper clips covered with resin. Look for bloodshot eyes, reduced motivation, red-out eye drops and a decrease in coordination.

Another drug Garcia said is prevalent in this area is methamphetamine. Many small labs in the area have been shut down, but now the meth is coming from large labs in Mexico. That meth is much purer and more dangerous.

Garcia said meth abuse has cost the public between $500 million and $750 million dollars since 1990.

Meth can be smoked, ingested, injected or snorted. What parents should look for is a decrease in appetite and weight loss, euphoria, paranoia, anxiety and dilated pupils. Items to watch for are tinfoil squares, glass or light bulb pipes, test tubes and torches.

"Many people who are on meth have a period of time when they are very energetic. They just have to do something. You see a lot of cleaning or tinkering during this period," Garcia said.

The last group of drugs is where Garcia said he is seeing the biggest growth for this area. Prescription and over-the-counter medications are often mistakenly perceived to be "safer" than illicit drugs, but that is completely untrue, Garcia said.

He said 4.4 million teens ages 12 through 17 admitted to using prescription painkillers, 2.3 million took a prescription stimulant such as Ritalin, and 2.2 million have abused over-the-counter drugs such as cough syrup.

Abuse of prescription drugs has contributed to the largest percentage of deaths from drug overdosing, with 38.2 percent of the deaths being related to opioid painkillers.

The average age for first time users is 13 to 14.

Garcia said they are seeing a rise in the abuse of prescription and over-the-counter medication because it is easily accessible.

"It's right there. They just have to go to the medicine cabinet," Garcia said.

The No. 1 thing to do for this is to be aware of your medications and try to have them in a locked or secure location where children don't have access to them.

Along with learning about drug abuse and how to recognize the signs of drug abuse, Garcia said it is just as important not to fall into the dangerous trap of thinking drugs aren't here.

He said the Breezy Point Police Department makes arrests related to drugs much more often than people generally believe.

The most important thing Garcia wanted parents to take away from the presentation was to be involved in their children's lives.

"If you are just involved in your child's life, you will be able to know when something doesn't seem quite right. Before that even happens, you have the ability to affect their behavior. Be involved," Garcia said.