The Centralia Police Department and the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team are inviting the public to attend a presentation titled “Chemicals of Concern and Common Sense,” according to a news release.
The event will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 22, at the TransAlta Commons on the Centralia College campus and will be presented by drug prevention specialist Stephanie Siete. Seating is limited to the first 150 attendees to arrive.
“This is an opportunity for parents, friends, coworkers, teachers and anyone in the community wanting a better understanding of the current drug trends,” according to the news release.
The 90-minute presentation will include information on fentanyl, marijuana and vapor cigarettes, “all of which have recently become very popular throughout our area,” according to the release.
“Drug use is not a normal behavior. This deadly epidemic is killing many and impacting all. It is not a youth problem; it is a community problem. Attend this class to learn the facts and trends. Take home resources and information that can be lifesaving,” Siete said.
The class will focus on today’s most abused substances, where they come from, what they look like and how their effects are killing individuals and devastating families, according to the release.
Topics to be covered, according to descriptions included in the release, are:
• People can no longer experiment or try drugs just once. Now, one pill can kill. It’s not just pills, many drugs are cut with deadly fentanyl and other chemicals.
• New forms of marijuana are synthetically altered and can cause psychosis.
• Crystal Meth has evolved and has an entirely new recipe resulting in users suffering immediate mental deterioration.
• Vaping among our youth and young adults continues to be on the rise and electronic nicotine delivery systems are flavorful, hard to detect and can be used with all the dangerous chemicals discussed above.
Siete has been a drug prevention specialist since 2002 and currently serves as the public information officer with Community Bridges, Inc.
The TransAlta Commons is located at 615 W. Pear St. in Centralia. Anyone with questions about the presentation is encouraged to call the Centralia Police Department at 360-330-7680.
