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Parent, educators and trainers warn Coffee County about potent THC products and laced vapes; Narcan explained
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Summary
At a Coffee County community panel, a parent described how her son's life changed after youth THC use, educators and juvenile-justice staff urged early intervention, and a trainer explained Narcan (naloxone) and warned that some vapes are being found laced with opioids.
A Coffee County panel on youth substance use opened with a parent's account of her family's struggles with mental-health diagnoses and youth THC exposure. "I am not a doctor or a counselor, but I've been a teacher, and I've had to educate myself and advocate for my son since his first official diagnosis at the age of 18," said Michelle Stewart Moore, who was introduced as a Coffee Mill School educator and parent advocate.
Panelists framed the rise in potent THC products and youth vaping as a communitywide prevention challenge. Lee Motley, identified as an assistant superintendent, said schools and parents are the "number one tool" for early identification and intervention, while Rhonda Dockery, program manager with the Department of Juvenile Justice, urged proactive coordination between schools, mental-health providers and law enforcement rather than waiting for complaints or arrests.
Speakers described how retail availability and product design have changed in recent years. A law-enforcement representative said convenience stores and smoke shops now sell inexpensive, highly concentrated THC items and that some products can be ordered online; panelists warned that small, attractive packaging makes it easy for students to hide and share devices in classrooms or bathrooms.
Public-health staff demonstrated and explained naloxone (Narcan), stressing its limits and life-saving role for opioid overdoses: "Narcan is not harmful for anybody that has not experienced an overdose of opioids," a trainer said, adding that Narcan works by displacing opioids at brain receptors and sometimes multiple doses are needed. The trainer also warned that some THC vapes have been found laced with opioids, meaning an apparent vaping incident could in rare cases produce an opioid overdose.
Organizers advised parents and caregivers to look for behavioral changes, to build trusting relationships with young people, and to seek counseling and school-based supports early. Attendees were directed to Coffee County Schools' Facebook page for the session recording and local resources; panelists also set up information tables for attendees to visit.
The panel did not take formal votes or adopt policy; organizers said they hope this event will be one of many and encouraged community members to share the information and follow up with local schools and public-health partners.
