MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT/EASTERN RECRUITING REGION PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- -- Drug Demand Reduction held a breakfast in support of the National Red Ribbon Week Campaign, Oct. 23-31, at Traditions Oct. 30.
To help promote drug and alcohol prevention, guest speakers from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the brig in Charleston spoke to Depot Marines on topics concerning drug abuse and ways to combat it.
"The main purpose was to increase awareness of the use of illegal drugs by our military," said Gayle Wierzbicki, breakfast coordinator and DDR counselor. "Some suggestions were brought up as to how we can do a better job of combating it, including weekend urinalysis testing and using dogs in health and comfort searches."
Doug Kahn, Beaufort DEA, spoke on illicit drugs and their affect on the Beaufort community.
South Carolina sits at a key junction of three major interstate highways that straddle the eastern United States. The close proximity to Atlanta makes it a natural distribution point for Atlanta-based drug traffickers, according to the DEA.
Jeremy Gauthier, special agent, Depot NCIS, discussed how drugs have the power to affect Marines at Parris Island, regardless of rank, background, service record or billet.
"Drugs are non-discriminatory," said Gauthier. "No one is out of the reach of their harmful affects. We wanted to make Marines aware of their presence in the local community and how great the potential is for them to leak into the Depot. It is imperative that officers and staff NCOs be attentive to their Marines and their activities."
Gauthier introduced the final speaker of the day, a Marine prisoner from the brig in Charleston serving a sentence for drug charges.
The prisoner, who tested positive for ecstasy and cocaine on a surprise urinalysis exam, helped illustrate some of the reasons why Marines may get involved in drug use. He also described some of the signs to look for when determining if a Marine is using drugs.
This was the first year that DDR held this type of event in conjunction with Red Ribbon Week. According to Wierzbicki, the event was a hit and will, more than likely, become an annual event.
"I was expecting about 50 people to show up and we had 55," she said. "The comments made after the event were a good indication of its success. The number of questions asked of the two agents and the prisoner was also a sign that it was a triumph. We're hoping to do it at the air station next year and at the hospital the following year."
Although drug use among Marines is a delicate subject worthy of the Corps' utmost attention, only two percent of the entire U.S. Armed Forces has been found using illegal drugs, according to an article published by the Marine Corps Times in October.
Log onto to www.usdoj.gov/dea to find out more about the Drug Enforcement Administration.