Drug Abuse

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office has released the cause of death as accidental for the 45-year-old La Cañada woman who was found dead in her vehicle the evening of March 23 in the 800 block of Monarch Drive. The cause of death has been determined as the “intentional inhalation of volatile gases, accident,” according to the Ed Winter of the coroner’s office. “There were multiple cans of compressed gases found in the vehicle,” he added.

Speaker at Community Prevention Council forum held last week urged parents to stay attentive. "You have to stand up and make a choice," therapist Paul Royer said.Parents, teens, educators and the public have a lot to say about substance abuse in the Crescenta-Cañada area. This was apparent during the free parenting forum titled "Drugs are Real: How Safe Are Your Kids?" held Jan 12. Local therapist Paul Royer, along with help from local sheriff's deputies, led the Community Prevention Council-sponsored forum, which was held at the Roger Barkley Community Center.

Crescenta Valley High School students have created a brick wall of negative effects from drug and alcohol abuse. Although the red bricks are made of paper, the experiences expressed are concrete negative effects of abuse. The brick wall is Project Success and Red Ribbon Week activity. "I know we are late for Red Ribbon," said Kathleen Keck, Project Success councilor for CVHS. She states that the project began during Red Ribbon Week, which was last Oct. 23 through 31, but drug and alcohol programs continue throughout the year.

Ten Years Ago … The La Cañada High all-school musical presented in late May 1997 was The Pajama Game. Lead actors were Chris D'Elia, Heather Stafford, Clayton Cogswell, Julie Asher, Janelle Bayard, Darren Pollock, Hillal Latif and Corinne Davis. Twenty Years Ago … Official formation of a Community Prevention Council to tackle youth alcohol and drug abuse was recommended to the LCF City Council by Dr. Skip Baker, head of the Mayor's Teen Committee.

This November marks the 25-year anniversary of SADD, Students Against Destructive Decisions. The organization, which has saved countless lives during those years, has been empowering students nationwide by teaching them ways to make correct choices when it comes to underage drinking, drug use and safe driving. Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy has an active SADD Chapter that was formed about 15 years ago by student Kelly Nardoni whose father was a criminal defense attorney and who had seen the devastation caused by drunk drivers.

Although it has been illegal for more than 100 years, retailers in La Cañada Flintridge have been willing to sell tobacco to minors at an alarming rate. PC308(a), a state law prohibiting the sale of tobacco to youth under the age of 18, has been on the books for over 100 years. Yet, disregard for the law is affecting the long-term health of our children who may experiment with smoking, because their access to tobacco is being aided and abetted by the tobacco industry and the local retailers selling it to them.

A teen drug and alcohol abuse meeting held at La Cañada Flintridge City Hall Saturday morning served as a forum where ideas were exchanged on how to deal with the issue within this city. "This is an important day, a day to address the concerns of community members on how to address the teen drug and alcohol problem," Will Moffitt, chair of the Community Prevention Council and lead event organizer, said. "Not to say that we are any worse or any better in this community, but if we can help one family then our work has been worthwhile," he said.

At a packed public meeting Tuesday night inside Verdugo Hills Hospital, certified addiction specialist Cary Quashen played several phone messages left by family members and friends of people who died from using drugs and alcohol. “I am so sick of burying these kids,” he said. In a foothill region beset with what officials say is a growing drug-abuse problem among teens, the forum focused on why and how young people slide into substance abuse. More than 100 people, from parents and educators to government officials and community leaders, attended the forum, which featured a panel of experts to discuss substance abuse issues and options for dealing with them.

Amid the death of South Pasadena High senior Aydin Salek, who passed away over the weekend after drinking alcohol at a party, comes the awareness in the La Cañada community that this could have been a La Cañada student or even taken place in La Cañada instead of at a home in neighboring Altadena. Salek was “a well-regarded campus leader,” according to a South Pasadena High statement. He was a writer for the school newspaper, president of the American Cancer Society Club on campus and student liaison to the South Pasadena school board.

At a packed public meeting Tuesday night inside Verdugo Hills Hospital, certified addiction specialist Cary Quashen played several phone messages left by family members and friends of people who died from using drugs and alcohol. “I am so sick of burying these kids,” he said. In a foothill region beset with what officials say is a growing drug-abuse problem among teens, the forum focused on why and how young people slide into substance abuse. More than 100 people, from parents and educators to government officials and community leaders, attended the forum, which featured a panel of experts to discuss substance abuse issues and options for dealing with them.

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Amid the death of South Pasadena High senior Aydin Salek, who passed away over the weekend after drinking alcohol at a party, comes the awareness in the La Cañada community that this could have been a La Cañada student or even taken place in La Cañada instead of at a home in neighboring Altadena. Salek was “a well-regarded campus leader,” according to a South Pasadena High statement. He was a writer for the school newspaper, president of the American Cancer Society Club on campus and student liaison to the South Pasadena school board.

This afternoon at noon in Glendale Community College’s Kreider Hall, the school will host a lecture on the anthropology of “Star Wars” and “Star Trek.” Can you see my grin? Daryl Frazetti, an anthropology and biology professor at Western Nevada College in Carson City, Nev., will give the talk. According to campus e-mails that have been sent around, the talk will focus on the politics, religion, identity, technology, the cultural role of the individual and the anthropological concept of “race” that is inherent in both franchises.

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office has released the cause of death as accidental for the 45-year-old La Cañada woman who was found dead in her vehicle the evening of March 23 in the 800 block of Monarch Drive. The cause of death has been determined as the “intentional inhalation of volatile gases, accident,” according to the Ed Winter of the coroner’s office. “There were multiple cans of compressed gases found in the vehicle,” he added.

Although it has been illegal for more than 100 years, retailers in La Cañada Flintridge have been willing to sell tobacco to minors at an alarming rate. PC308(a), a state law prohibiting the sale of tobacco to youth under the age of 18, has been on the books for over 100 years. Yet, disregard for the law is affecting the long-term health of our children who may experiment with smoking, because their access to tobacco is being aided and abetted by the tobacco industry and the local retailers selling it to them.

Part one of a series   According to the United States Department of Justice, in 2006 poll of high school seniors across the nation were asked, “On how many occasions, if any, have you used drugs or alcohol during the last 12 months?” Of those who responded, 66.5% said they used alcohol within a 12-month period and 45.3% had used within the 30 days prior to the poll. In the same study, 31.5% high school seniors had used marijuana in a 12-month period, 8.1% used stimulants like methamphetamine and 4.5% used inhalants.