Life In The Drug Corridor

DAYTON - Andy Maheras was a teacher at Walla Walla High School last May when a big shipment of heroin came through the Walla Walla Valley.

He saw the effect that had on the community, an area already plagued by gangs and the trafficking of drugs like marijuana, ecstasy, pharmaceuticals and meth.

" It's everywhere," he said .

And it's here - in the Touchet Valley, in Columbia County and in Dayton's schools.

"I've seen everything," said Deputy Jeff Jenkins, a narcotics officer with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.

Maheras began his first year as Dayton High School principal this fall. He knows that rural communities aren't immune to drug problems - in fact, many growers and manufacturers seek out areas just like Columbia County for their operations.

"We don't have as many officers as they do in, say, the Tri Cities," Jenkins said. "They know their chances of getting caught are slim to none."

As much as Maheras has been relieved to make his home in Dayton, where drugs, violence and gang activity are much scarcer, he's just as determined to keep it that way.

"Knowledge is power," he said. And so knowledge is where he has decided to begin.

Last week, Maheras invited Jenkins to present a drug awareness seminar to teachers, staff and community members at the district. The deputy brought his knowledge from more than 14 years in law enforcement, including four years as a narcotics officer, and as much physical material as he could, to show staff what's out there and teach them the language and the facts they might not know.

"It was clear from those present that they had no idea what they were looking at or any of the new terminology and designer drugs present in the area," Maheras said.

Jenkins brought samples of real and placebo (fake) drugs, magazines, booklets, pipes and more, 90 percent of which came from arrests and seizures in Columbia County. The idea? - to help staff, parents and others be aware and be able to recognize the signs or know the evidence when they saw it.

"I need parent and community support and understanding," Maheras said. "I'm not on a witch hunt. It's real, it's here and if we don't stop it, it's not going to just be ecstasy or marijuana, it's going to be heroin."

Maheras said he's not seeing a lot in the schools, but he's had plenty of suspicions.

"Law enforcement works under probably cause, but schools work under reasonable suspicion," he said. "So I can search a locker, search a student and their belongings if I suspect they're under the influence. When I do that, I'll call law enforcement to come in and observe. They can't do anything until I find something, but once I find it, I can turn it over to Jeff, and it becomes a felony or misdemeanor or whatever it is."

He hasn't found anything yet, but he's been looking.

"With the people I have searched, it's been talk only, nothing on them," he said. "But I'm looking at ballpoint pens, smelling everything. People think I'm funny, but that's what they do. It's here."

People will use just about anything when it comes to getting high, Jenkins said. He had water pipes, carved out antler pipes and more on display last Thursday.

"But they'll use anything - anything and everything you can imagine," he said. From apples, to light bulbs (for smoking meth), nothing surprises him anymore.

Where is the drug problem in Columbia County coming from? Jenkins said the majority of the local problem is from recent graduates and 20-somethings, "but they all have nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters which could potentially be impacted at home and school," according to Maheras.

"And if you don't call them on it, they're going to run with it," he said.

With all the negative publicity in recent years about meth, kids think other drugs aren't as bad. Jenkins told a story about a local teen who took ecstasy and got sick. When questioned by parents, the youngster said, "Hey, it wasn't like I was doing meth."

That's the kind of thing that scares Maheras. Young people will often start with ecstasy, but they'll soon realize that heroin is cheaper and gives a much longer high. So they'll switch to the much more addictive and damaging drug.

What's the age range of kids getting caught with drugs?

As young as third or fourth grade, in the Walla Walla and Tri Cities, Jenkins and Maheras said.

"Here in Dayton, they youngest I've seen was 14," Jenkins said. "But I wouldn't be surprised to see kids as young as 10."

Which drugs are being used most in the county?

"Molly is what's hitting the streets of Dayton now," Jenkins said. "Molly," the street name for MDMA or ecstasy, is usually taken in pill form. Maheras was surprised to hear kids in Dayton talk about "Molly."

Prescription drugs are also big in Columbia County, Jenkins said.

But most prevalent is marijuana. Kids see their parents smoking it right in front of them, Jenkins said. "They think, 'It's natural. It's grown.'" So it's not as bad as other drugs, he said.

But since the 1970s, THC (the main psychoactive drug in marijuana) levels in pot have increased 200 percent. "It's becoming much more dangerous," Jenkins said.

And with the legalization of medical marijuana, enforcement has become "a nightmare," he said. In Washington state, medical marijuana cardholders are allowed to have 24 ounces ( more than a pound) of marijuana.

"That's a lot," he said. California only allows eight ounces.

And the state doesn't have a system in place for tracking who is supposed to have a card.

"It's horrible," Jenkins said. "Very frustrating for law enforcement."

What that means to Maheras is that marijuana is more dangerous and more prevalent than ever before. He's on the alert, and he hopes to raise community, school and parent awareness on the seriousness of the issue.

"We have to keep this out of our community," he said. "It's not going to go away. The best thing to do is to educate and let people know we have a problem."