International speaker Tall Cop visits Monroe, talks about drug use … – Monroe Evening News

Vaping has become an epidemic among children, kids as young as second grade are vaping, and drugs could be hidden anywhere.

Those were some of the topics Officer Jermaine Galloway discussed earlier this week, during his workshop High in Plain Sight: Current Drug Trends, at Monroe County Community College. Galloway, who is 6 feet, 9 inches tall, goes by the nickname "Tall Cop."

Attending were about 90 people, mostly law enforcement officers and school resource personnel.

He is a dynamic presenter on current trends, and he is in high demand. I believe he was well-received, and I would say the attendees walked away with knowledge that they did not know prior to walking into the room, Vicky Loveland, coordinator of the Monroe County Substance Abuse Coalition, said. Loveland organized the workshop with Jean Foster, regional school health coordinator for the Monroe County Intermediate School District.

Gallowaycovered about 30 topics in Monroe.

Everything thats trending. I talked about fentanyl and things that travel with fentanyl, over-the-counter drugs, youth drug use, vaping, many things, he said.

Galloway shares the latest drug trends with audiences from professionals to parents. Because his program in Monroe was geared to law enforcement officers, he didnt want the content shared publicly.

Theres a fine line between education and teaching people stuff you dont want to teach them, Galloway said.

But Galloway did have plenty he could share about drug abuse with Monroe County families. Most parents, he said, are surprised by his information.

They say, Wow, we didnt know any of this. They say, I thought I understood drug trends. I did drugs, Galloway said. Dont for a second think you know. Its evolving so rapidly.

His No. 1 message: Vaping is an epidemic among school-age students across the country.

I dont use that term lightly. Heroin is an epidemic on the streets. Vaping is an epidemic for kids, and its not going away anytime soon. Vaping is by far No. 1, Galloway said.

While school-age children are still using prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs like Xanax, alcohol and fentanyl at increasing rates, none are at the use level of vaping.

Vaping also has become the new gateway drug, an introductory drug that gets users into increasingly more serious drugs.

Some think its cannabis. Its vaping, 100%. Some are using it in second and third grades, Galloway said.

Many children get vaping paraphernalia, either indirectly or directly, from their parents.

Parents cant find their vape pen; their kids are taking hits off it. Or parents (allow it), saying, At least my kid is not using hard drugs. They all start with the small stuff, and it evolves. Parents need to say, They arent doing the hard drugs yet, Galloway said.

Because nicotine is so addictive, parents cannot simply tell their kids to stop vaping, Galloway said.

Its highly addictive. The kids are addicted. They will need help. They will need treatment and other resources. You cannot use consequences to get out of addiction. Punishment simply doesnt work. You have to do something else, he said.

There is not a magic answer, Loveland said. He understands, though, that schools are not equipped to deal with the addiction, and suspension, whether out-of-school or in-school, are the only options they have.

Foster appreciated Galloways honest information on vaping.

He emphasized that this is not going away and in fact might get worse.I appreciated his depth of knowledge and the new information he brought to us all. Although scary, it is critical information for all of us, she said.

Galloway also offered warning signs that a child or teen is using drugs. While changes in behavior and new friends are warning signs, change in attitude is the biggest clue.

The I dont care attitude. All our kids always say that, but this is truly not caring what happens and what the consequences are. They give up on everything they used to love. Pay attention to that, he said.

Another warning sign of drug use is noticing items out of place.

A mom found drugs in a highlighter. Why did she search it? She said, My son is always moving it, but I never saw him using it. That stood out to her, he said.

Galloway spent 18 years in law enforcement before becoming a substance abuse trainer in 2002. Today, he travels to two to three states a week and speaks to 80,000 people a year.

It grew. At first it was locally, then around the state, which was Idaho at the time, then some neighboring states. My name started to get out and teaching took off from there. Now I train nationwide and in Canada, he said.

Galloway has received numerous awards for his work and gets letters and emails weekly from parents and law enforcement officers. Many tell him his message helped a child get treatment.

Galloway said he learns current trends through a boots on the ground approach.

I find information everywhere. People send me a lot. I spend a lot of time in stores, he said.

His training message changes almost daily.

I build each training for the group Im training. I work on it every week. Im always adding, he said. I take pride in getting you the information before the article comes out.

To learn more, visit tallcopsaysstop.com or Tall Cop Says Stop on Facebook.

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International speaker Tall Cop visits Monroe, talks about drug use ... - Monroe Evening News