DON'T FORGET THAT CRACK COCAINE KILLS

With drugs like Ecstacy, GHB and methamphetamine grabbing headlines across the nation, it's easy to forget the damage done by other drugs.

Crack cocaine and heroin are two of the primary drugs bought and sold in Fairfield County and the pain and suffering it inflicts on those who use it -- and the loved ones of those caught in its grasp -- is immense.

A Health and Human Services report says an estimated 14 percent of Americans 12 and older will have used crack once in their lifetime.  Of that number, about 150,000 people aged 12 to 17 and a little more than 1 million people aged 18 to 25 used crack at least once.

On Nov.  22 , a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old girl, both from Columbus, were arrested at a Lancaster hotel along with two 18-year-old boys from Columbus.  Officers found 11 grams of crack cocaine in the hotel room.

Crack cocaine use among high school students is a particular problem.  Nearly 4 percent of high school seniors in the United States used the drug at least once in their lifetime, and more than 1 percent used the drug in the past month, according to the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future Survey.

And, if we believe that it's less of a problem today than in the past, here's a set of incredibly sobering statistics: In 2001, more than 1.1 million people tried cocaine -- the highest level of first use since 1988 and emergency rooms reported nearly 200,000 mentions of cocaine in cases resulting in treatment during 2002.  The latter number has climbed steadily.

Crack cocaine is a killer.  It's cheap, easy to get and hard to resist, but it can -- and most often does -- kill.  It's on our streets and can't be stopped by police alone.

The U.S.  23 Pipeline Task Force is working hard to combat this plague, but it needs help from the community.  Don't let dealers set up shop in your neighborhood.  Make an anonymous call to police and get them out of your area.

If you know someone who is using crack or powder cocaine, intervene.  If they won't seek or take help, call the police.  It's a drastic step, but it might be one that saves a life or lives.