‘High in Plain Sight’ highlights rise of substance abuse issues in Amarillo

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - First responders, educators, and community leaders learned more about how to help prevent and reduce substance abuse at the High in Plain Sight Program.

The program’s goal is to give guidance to educators on substance abuse to begin prevention in schools starting from an early age.

“I think the more work we do upfront, the less we have to do on the back end ‘cause as you’re seeing, once you walk outside those doors, we have some pretty significant issues across the U.S. with drug issues now,” said High in Plain Sight Founder Officer Jermaine “Tall Cop” Galloway.

The main mission is to reduce incarceration rates and mental health disorders.

Galloway conducted a community scan in Amarillo to identify substance abuse trends.

According to Galloway, Amarillo’s community scan was comparable to other cities across the state with a rise in legal drug use.

These legal drugs have become more prevalent in the community and schools.

“The mentality is that legal means safe. Legal does not mean safe, not by any means, alright? And when a drug is legal, it is more accessible or at least openly accessible, and when a drug becomes more accessible the next step is prices drop,” said Galloway. “The lower the prices get, you price the kids into the market. That’s what people don’t realize.”

Megan Williams, director of Tobacco Free Amarillo, says their hope is to provide educators with the necessary tools and resources to help stop the growing use of harmful substances within area schools.

“Prevention, we know that if a kid doesn’t start using when they’re young, when they’re an adult there is a great chance they never will. It’s just the science tells us that the sooner you can prevent lifelong use of these substances, the less health affects you’re gonna have later,” said Williams.

According to Williams, these trainings are not only aimed at preventing substance abuse in children, but also works with treatment facilities to identify it in adults.