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The meeting was attended by officers and chiefs from the Berryville, Green Forest and Eureka Springs police departments; and members from area hospitals, clinics, the county Health Unit and non-profit community organizations.
The purpose of the meeting, said Laurie Reh, Prevention Resource Center director, was to "help (the coalition) be more active."
"This is a collaborative team, and we are very concerned about the drug use in Carroll County," she said. "Data from the Arkansas Prevention Needs Assessment Survey shows alarming increase in use and awareness of drugs."
Results from the 2006 survey were presented at the meeting.
All three school districts in Carroll County have participated in the survey annually since 2002. The survey is filled out by students in sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th grades voluntarily and anonymously during one class period.
While the data compares levels between 2005 and 2006, sample sizes were too different to make a meaningful comparison, as in 2005 only 190 students from two schools participated, whereas in 2006, 766 students from six schools participated.
The data does compare county with overall state figures in 2006, however.
Wide-ranging multiple-choice questions deal with drug and alcohol use; violence and handgun possession; neighborhood, community and family factors; and peer pressure and behaviors.
"When we look at the data for Carroll County, reported drug use by students is higher than the state rate," said Reh.
The data show that drug use is highest in the 10th grade, followed by 12th grade, then eighth grade and sixth grade.
The data show that county youths' use of drugs at higher than state levels occurred with chewing tobacco, marijuana and cocaine among sixth-graders; alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, inhalants and cocaine among eighth-graders; alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, hallucinogens, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, sedatives and Ecstasy among the 10th-graders; and alcohol, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, inhalants, cocaine, methamphetamines, and heroin among 12th-graders.
The most dramatic differences in drug use between county and state figures occurred in alcohol and inhalants for eighth-graders, alcohol, inhalants, hallucinogens and cocaine for 10th-graders; and alcohol, chewing tobacco and methamphetamines for 12th-graders.
Forty-eight percent of eighth-graders used alcohol, compared to 41 percent in the state, while 23 percent of this group used inhalants, compared to 15 percent in the state.
Seven percent of 10th grade students used hallucinogens and cocaine, compared to three and four percent in the state, while nine percent used meth, compared to five percent in the state.
Data on the protective factors showed a marked decrease in rewards for socially positive interactions within the schools, family and communities.
While figures for gang involvement and handgun possession were not high, they did show higher than state levels in eighth, 10th and 12th grades.
The full survey can be read here.
The Drug Free Carroll County Coalition has been in existence for five years, said Sherri Plumlee, administrator of the Carroll County Health Unit. The group received a grant of $100,000, renewable for four years, to fund the coalition and its prevention activities.
"We had a lot of successes," she said, citing an 800 number for crime tips; acquisition of drug kits for police departments, schools and parents; and working with the circuit court judge on a successful drug court in the county.
Funding ran out and the group's leadership and coalition did not reapply for federal funding, Reh said. The coalition no longer has a paid coordinator.
Next steps are to try to revitalize the coalition, she said.
"We're here to help."
A meeting will be held to reorganize the coalition and discuss new directives on Tuesday, July 15, at 9 a.m. in the Carroll Electric Pioneer Room.
Those interested in becoming involved with this effort can contact Sherri Plumlee at (870) 423-2923.