KUNA, Idaho — On January 26, the Kuna School District hosted an event to educate students and parents on the impacts of drug abuse.
The keynote speaker for the event was Rocky Herron, a retired DEA agent with over 30 years of experience in law enforcement.
Herron, now primarily a motivational speaker, travels to many schools to inform communities of the dangers of drugs, including Fentanyl, and the rise he has seen in use and overdoses.
“I try to share with the kids what I lived and learned in my 31 years as a DEA agent,” says Herron. “In the DEA we don’t investigate drug users, but drug traffickers. But when your investigating drug traffickers you have to see what drugs do to individuals and families, our community, our country and the broader world.”
One of the approaches Herron has found effective is in the way he communicates with kids.
“I talk to the kids … I don’t talk at them,” says Herron. “Many kids will come up to me and say wow, I’ve been told not to use drugs many times, yours is the first program that taught me why not to use drugs.”
Drug overdoses have become more prevalent over the years, resulting in first responders administering increasing amounts of Narcan, a prescription medication known to rapidly reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.
Fentanyl and methamphetamine cases have been on the rise here in the Gem State, prompting Governor Little to launch Operation Esto Perpetua in March 2022, with the objective of reducing the flow of fentanyl and methamphetamine into Idaho.
The Nampa Police Department alone has responded to 25 overdoses since Christmas.
Herron also warns that the internet is making it easier for kids to obtain dangerous drugs.
“When I was a kid, if a child wanted to go get drugs, they had to leave the home and go somewhere to find an actual person to do a transaction. Now, a teenager in their bedroom can order the drugs online, pay for it online and someone will bring it and drop it off at the house. And the parents have no idea that this transaction is going on.”
Most importantly, Herron encourages parents to be educated on these topics, and to actively be engaged in their child’s education about the dangers of drug abuse. His concern is that many parents are not.
“… I do parent events for school districts … and typically the turn-out is dismal. We will get one percent of the parents in the school district to show up. My experience is parents are not engaging in education their kids, so that’s why my work is in the school.”
To learn more about Rocky Herron and his message, visit rockyherron.com.
