Marijuana legalization compared to ‘big tobacco’
The FAD director says he considers pot a gateway drug.
The Floyd Against Drugs director says he believes pot is a gateway drug.
Alcohol and marijuana remain the focus of the Floyd Against Drugs agency, and Director Dan Falcitelli told the Rome Exchange Club Friday the push to legalize marijuana was “big tobacco all over again, and they are definitely targeting our kids.” He also said abuse of prescription medications, opioids in particular, are also a significant problem in the Northwest Georgia area.
Falcitelli is a retired FBI special agent with an extensive background in combating drug activity.
He explained that part of what marijuana does is break down inhibitions. “It’s a self-esteem destroyer, that willpower to say
‘no,’ so the next thing that gets put in front of you, methamphetamine, opioids, prescription drugs, whatever willpower to say ‘no’ has been sapped by marijuana use,” Falcitelli said. “It rewires the brain.”
FAD was the recipient of a Substance Abuse Mental Health Administration grant of $125,000 a year for five years, with the potential to extend that for another five years. It has been used to help advertise and promote its campaigns against drugs. “The catch to this $125,000 per year is that it’s got to be matched dollar for dollar in kind,” Falcitelli said.
“The age of onset for alcohol in Floyd County is 12 years old, we are still trying to combat that,” Falcitelli said. “Tenth to 12th grade is where we still see the spike in underage drinking and the drug use.”
The good news locally, according to FAD, is that surveys have shown alcohol and marijuana use by young people has been trending down for two straight years.
While FAD concentrates its work with youth, the agency is keenly aware of the impact drug and alcohol problems among adults have on youth. Falcitelli said 40 percent of the youth taken into foster care in Floyd County are the result of substance abuse by their parents.
Access to prescription medications also comes largely as the result of medicines left unused by parents. He said the agency has had two successful drug drops for old prescription medications this year, collecting 127 pounds of pills in the April drive and another 49 pounds in a collection effort earlier this month.
FAD and Steak ‘n Shake are bringing magician and mentalist Charles Wright to Rome for two shows at the City Auditorium on Aug. 26. The 2 p.m. matinee will be a little more family and youth-oriented while the 6:30 p.m. will be more adult-oriented, but will not include offensive language. Funds from both shows will help match the grants which help FAD continue its mission.