Chesterfield Fights Inhalant Abuse
Chesterfield County has twice the national average of inhalants abuse among young people, and today, is holding a training seminar for teachers to recognize the signs and spread the word.
Nationally, more 12-year-old children are inhaling cheap ordinary household products than marijuana, hallucinogens and cocaine combined, and it can be deadly.
Garber : Anyone can die the first time.
Mary Garber is Child Safety Coordinator with Chesterfield Police and she will be presenting an information session for teachers this morning at Swift Creek Elementary.
Garber : It’s something that lots of times kids start with and they don’t realize the dangers and then it leads to other things.
Kids can get into products in every home, like spray paint, shoe polish, glue, air fresheners, hair spray, nail polish, gasoline, aerosols and computer cleaners.
Garber : It’s more prevalent with younger children, and part of that reason is that they are readily available and cheap.
Now, all 14 middle schools and 38 elementary schools have received inhalant training, and they report after two years, there was a 44 percent drop in its abuse.
Charles Fishburne, WCVE News
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