Saline County School Districts: Prescription Drug Awareness booklets handed out

Bauxite, Benton, Bryant, Harmony Grove and Glen Rose school districts recieved the booklets for distribution to teachers and parents in their respective communities.

These booklets are to help teachers and parents identify prescription drugs kids may be using, and what they are for so they may have a better understanding.

"It's a good tool for the [identification] of possible drug use. It contains the signs and symptoms," says Lt. Kevin Russell of Benton police.

Russell says the booklet also contains the common street names of drugs. "So if they hear their son or daughter tossing around a slang name, it might ring true that they might be doing this."

The booklet also contains pictures of the drugs. Russell says if the parents might see it and are alerted to the fact that, 'Hey, that looks like this [drug].'

He adds that the best way to curb this type of activity is to ask questions and be involved.

The booklets were the idea of Mr. Russell Goodwin, who owns a local monument company and coaches teens in baseball.

Goodwin gave Chief Kirk Lane of Benton police the idea about the books after dealing first hand with the negative impact of their use.

They were designed by Christina King, who is a senior pharmacy student at UAMS.

In addition to the superintendents, those present at the conference included chiefs of police from all cities involved, the Saline County Sheriff, Saline County Prosecutor, Rep. Dawn Creekmore and Rep. Barbara Nix and the mayors of Benton and Bryant.

Source: Today's THV and Lt. Kevin Russell