News « back to news Town Hall Meeting Brings Together Prevention, Business and TV April 20, 2005 - Pay attention to how much money teenagers are spending, don’t be afraid to search their rooms, and be aware of not-so-believable explanations about where they have been and what they have been doing. That’s the advice from three recovering teenage drug addicts who participated in a major town hall meeting addressing drug issues in Chicago on April 20. The televised event was hosted by Prevention First and Comcast at Chicago’s Field Museum, as part of Prevention First’s affiliation with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. The event drew 200 participants to hear guest panelists including Carol Adams, secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS), Steve Cline from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, Jeanne Hansen from the DHS Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, and Richard Sanders from the Chicago Region Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The show was taped for broadcast by CLTV and moderated by CLTV News Anchor and Reporter LeeAnn Trotter, with Chris Zorich, former Chicago Bear and chairman of the Christopher Zorich Foundation. The show also aired on the Comcast Network in May and is now available on Comcast’s OnDemand. The discussion included three teenagers involved in the Be Real prevention program, who talked about what has kept them away from drugs. “I see how people look and act when they’re drunk, and I don’t want to look like that,” explained Jennifer Lagos, 16, from Chicago. The audience was particularly moved when Kate Patton of Rolling Meadows shared the tearful story about her 23-year-old daughter, Kelley, who died of an Ecstasy overdose. “It’s (her drug use) one of those dark secrets she kept from me,” Patton shared. “I was literally the last one to know.” She now speaks to teens and parent groups and pointed out that “some parents are oblivious and I was one of them,” adding, “There are red flags everywhere, you just have to know them.” Brian Wester, 17, from Geneva, agreed. “It’s remarkable how much I used and they didn’t know about it,” he said about his parents and his marijuana use. “They are good liars,” noted parent Lynn Halloran, whose daughter Sarah is in recovery and joined her on the town hall panel. “I was very good at making up stories,” Sarah admitted. But Lynn thought Sarah’s erratic behavior was just a phase. Dr. Adams urged parents to forget about phases because “small behaviors can grow into larger behaviors.” Instead, she and the other expert panelists agreed that clear, consistent communication is the key to helping teens steer clear of drugs. “Don’t talk at them, but with them and hopefully they will talk back with you,” Kate Patton said. She encouraged parents to “do your homework, know what drugs are out there and continually talk to (teens) about drugs.” Other panel members were Terry Lemming, Illinois State Police; Missy Fleming, American Medical Association; Marti Belluschi, impaired driving expert; Karel Ares, Prevention First, and Ava Youngblood and her son Garrett, a Be Real teen. Senator Barack Obama lent his support via a video message aired during the program.