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Presentation reveals drugs 'Hidden in Plain Sight'

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Julie Hook of Guttenberg and Amanda Filya of Luana searched the mock bedroom on Tuesday night. "Our kids' drugs of choice are marijuana, prescription drugs and methamphetamine," said county sheriff's deputy Matt Moser to audience members from Clayton, Allamakee, Fayette and Winneshiek counties. (Press photo by Molly Moser)

By Molly Moser

Dozens circulated through the mock bedroom of a teenage boy on Tuesday, March 22, in Elkader. Hidden in Plain Sight, a substance abuse awareness program hosted by Clayton County Community Collaboration Council (5C), law enforcement agencies and other community partners, brought adults into a mock bedroom to identify indicators of drug use and other risky behaviors.  

Police officers from Elkader and Monona were on site along with the Clayton County Sheriff’s Department to answer questions provide information on illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and violence, and a briefcase filled with drug look-alikes such as heroine, cocaine, and various pills was studied by many. 

While teens and adults toured the bedroom, young children experienced a separate track of interactive activities to learn about how drugs affect the body through interactive websites and conversations, and received safety packets from the Sheriff’s Department. Some made decorative vases for child abuse awareness month, which will be displayed in school offices.

Parents, grandparents, coaches and community members stepped over football cleats and sifted through clothing to uncover pipes, cigarettes, and items stamped with marijuana leaves. 

Amanda Filya, mother of three from Luana, picked out a scale, a pipe bag, and other subtle drug paraphernalia in the bedroom with an expert eye. Her 17-year-old son had a brush with the law several months ago. “He’s been spending a lot of time with mom for the last few months. I told him we’re not going down this road,” she said. Filya is happy to report her son is enjoying track this spring, but isn’t about to let anything past her watchful eye. She found more hidden objects in the room than any other participant, with over 30. 

In fact, there were 59 suspicious items in the mock bedroom. After all participants toured the bedroom, its cloth sides were removed and Deputy Matt Moser of the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office gave an educational presentation revealing the paraphernalia hidden throughout the drawers, bags, and even inside an artificial book on a shelf. 

“I’m very passionate about this,” said Moser, a Guttenberg native who is the K9 handler for the Sheriff’s office. “Are we as a society making drug use okay? The music and TV we watch, clothing we wear, social media; the behavior of role models like athletes and movie stars, the legalization of marijuana in the U.S. – it’s becoming a social norm.”

Moser’s presentation encouraged parents to look deeper into their children’s bedrooms. He showed a WD-40 can and an apparently full pop can with false bottoms, a plush Cookie Monster with a zippered compartment in the back, and a variety of other harmless objects that had hollow areas to stash drugs and paraphernalia. A digital scale hidden inside a CD case, a pipe made from a highlighter, marijuana grinders that appear to be simple knick-knacks, a computer mouse with drugs stashed in the battery compartment, and even deodorant and chapstick containers with drugs inside were revealed.  

The officer also suggested parents take a look through their children’s trash cans, keeping an eye out for crushed pop cans used as pipes or plastic baggies with ends tied in knots that once contained drugs. 

Various words and slogans on clothing items in the mock bedroom were pointed out as red flags, including the number 4-20, music icon Bob Marley or the hatchet man icon for the band Insane Clown Posse, items that say ‘MOLLY’ as a synonym for the drug ecstasy, the word ‘kush,’ and of course, emblems with marijuana leaves. Certain types of shoes may have zippered compartments in the tongues. 

“Clothing brands that support drug use include Young & Reckless and Supporting Radical Habits (SRH), which uses an ace of spaces symbol,” said Moser. “Most of the time if you stop a car and you’re observant, kids give it away. They’re not shy about this stuff.”

Moser warned parents to watch out for scent masking agents like incense or potpourri, which can also be a euphemism for synthetic marijuana or K2 Spice. “A canine would still be able to smell that,” he said, sharing a photo of his trained dog Raven with a variety of items she sniffed out at one scene, including a padded bag of the brand Dime Bag. “This company says they make scent proof bags. I will say that they’re lying, because my dog has found them.”

Red solo cups and a ping pong ball for beer pong; vaporizers which hide the smell of burnt marijuana; a straw used as a snort tube; gold and silver spray paint cans used for huffing; the room contained an endless stream of potential hazards. 

“You have to ask questions and get more in depth about what’s going on. If you find something, dig into it, open it up, take a look, see what’s in there,” Moser advised parents. “When your kids come home, look to see if their pupils stay large in a bright room. Check whether their tongues are green. Give them a hug and smell them. Watch for twitching and fidgeting. Ask the kids where they were, who they were with: if they don’t want you to know they’re going to start spitting and sputtering.”

“If you search your child's room and find this stuff, what do you do? That’s a tough question, as a parent, whether to bring law enforcement in or discipline them at home. I wish I could give you a good answer but I can’t do that – that’ s just a parenting decision you have to make.” He suggested the Clayton County Resource Guide which contains helpful information on places to go to talk or find solutions. 

Organizers hope to purchase a trailer to contain the mock bedroom and make it mobile so that others can use the exhibit for training. Interested parties should contact Officer Moser for more information at mmoser@claytoncountyia.gov

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