Congratulations to Slippery Rock Alcohol and Addictions Coalition, Slippery Rock Rotary and Slippery Rock University for putting a spotlight on addiction and overdose deaths.

The issue has been here for more than 15 years. The influx of drugs via the Mexican cartel has been growing across Pennsylvania, networking big city gangs as long distance dealers.

The Butler County Drug Task Force is kept very active in arrests and undercover work and its agents do a fantastic job with great risk involved. Their resources pale in comparison to the cartel.

Big city gangs now have a presence in Butler and across our state. Couple that with a lack of resources for adequate treatment for those suffering with addiction and you have an ever-increasing demand for drugs.

Fueled by entertainment glamourizing drugs and alcohol as “partying”, too many youth are “singing along” to a tune that perpetuates addiction.

Availability of drugs is firmly established and a desire to “party” is imprinted in the minds of many youth.

While this problem has been brewing over time, the public has become desensitized — we’re no longer alarmed at overdose numbers. Drug and alcohol problems are in all of our schools — public and private — but few schools have formulated a plan to engage parents. Yet all schools are at risk for an overdose on campus.

Until parents hear from school administrators that it is urgent for parents to become informed, their “Not my kid” comfort zone remains undisturbed.

For 11 years the nonprofit CANDLE Inc. has provided the parent/child Reality Tour Drug Prevention experience, utilizing dedicated volunteers and community partners. We have reached out multiple times to every school district and most private schools.

Our model school district is Seneca Valley. Students and parents fill our Mars area Reality Tour monthly.

Karns City School District’s football team had 100 percent attendance. South Butler, our pilot partner, appeals to parents at orientation.

One parent best sums up the experience, “These were the most important hours I may ever spend with my child!”

It is the reactions of the youth that are so profound:

“Keep doing Reality Tour because we don’t realize, well … anything!”

“We shrug it off as if we know drugs are bad, but we don’t!”

“Keep doing this as much as possible to save kids!”

We have likely underestimated how frightening it is for our youth to see fellow students … including on the honor roll and stars on the football field … are becoming addicted. Students are left to wonder if they will escape the lure of experimentation that the best of the best weren’t able to avoid.

Butler’s Reality Tour is being replicated in 30 sites across seven states and Canada. The federal government recognizes it as an evidence-based program.

There is no cost to partner with the program.

The nonprofit CANDLE Inc. will host an informative session for all area school districts and private school administrators, staff, interested parents and community members from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 17, at Monarch Place, 100 Brugh Ave., Butler.

Reservations may be made online at www.RealityTour.org.

Norma Norris of Butler is the founder and executive director of CANDLE Inc. and its Reality Tour.