Drug demand reduction program effective

  • Published
  • By Capt. Paula Bissonette
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  To deter civilian employees and military members from abusing illegal drugs and other illicit substances, the Air Force surgeon general implemented the Demand Reduction Program, which is managed here by the 7th Medical Group.

The DRP’s purpose is to maintain the health and wellness of a fit and ready fighting force; this is accomplished through comprehensive programs of education, prevention, deterrence and community outreach, according to Air Force Instruction 44-159, DRP.

The DRP manager for the 7th Bomb Wing is Mr. Theodis Talbert, who works in the life skills flight in the medical group.

“My primary focus is family members who are not active duty, such as school-age children and retirees,” said Mr. Talbert. “Due to the nature of the mission here at Dyess, I spend a lot of time working with the active duty personnel as well.”

One of the means of accomplishing the goals of the DRP is through community outreach, and Mr. Talbert does this in a variety of ways.

“I go out into the different schools from elementary all the way up through high school and provide briefings about the dangers of substance abuse and drugs and the impact they can have on the students’ lives,” he said.

The Dyess DRP provides information to the community through lectures to reserve officer training corps students, Boy Scout groups, church youth groups, and students who are considered to be at high risk for drug use or abuse, he said.

The program also provides information to base personnel through commander’s call briefings and information booths set up at the base exchange. One interesting means of getting the drug use prevention message to people is through the use of impaired goggles, he said.

“I present an ‘impaired goggle’ demonstration where I will have an individual put the goggles on and go through different tasks so they can actually experience the effects of being either drugged or intoxicated. This gives people an understanding of what substances can actually do to them and how it can affect their judgment and motor skills,” Mr. Talbert said.

Mr. Talbert also sets up a demonstration area during the annual “Rockin’ in the Park” celebration, scheduled for May 20 this year, where he allows people to drive a golf cart through a short obstacle course under normal conditions and then has them attempt the same process while wearing the impaired goggles.

“It’s amazing how many mistakes people make, and it shows them the effects of intoxication while operating a vehicle. Most people are very surprised at how impaired they are with the goggles on; some of them cannot even manage to get the key in the ignition,” Mr. Talbert said.

In addition to the lectures and demonstrations, Mr. Talbert said he is also responsible for the base drug testing program.

“The DRP was tasked to augment the testing program and ensure it runs smoothly,” said Mr. Talbert. “This is a deterrence and prevention measure, and it helps keep our personnel fit and ready for duty. Random drug testing is one of the predominant means of achieving deterrence for active duty members, according to program guidance.”

The geographical location of Dyess presents some unique challenges for the DRP.

“The thing that is unique to this area is the ease with which drugs may be purchased,”
said Mr. Talbert. “They are very inexpensive. Where (Dyess is) located, with Interstate 20 and highways 83/84 and 277 as main thoroughfares, means you can be in numerous major cities in only a few hours, and what we’ve seen is that a lot of the big guys (drug dealers) will come to this area to run their businesses.”

While Dyess does not have any more or less drug use than any other base, it was the base with the most open drug-related investigations last year, Mr. Talbert said.

“The unique program we have here at Dyess, which some of the other bases may not be as fortunate to have, is the rapport and relationship we have with the Office of Special Investigations,” Mr. Talbert said. “Over the last three years or so, they have stepped up the number of drug-related investigations they initiated. This is not because we have more drug abuse here; it (means) we changed the way we do business.”

Dyess was one of the first bases to implement what is called “smart testing,’ which means people are placed in target groups based on age and rank. People in the target groups can expect to be tested more often than people not in the target groups.

“We are required to test 65 percent of our base populous, and it is done through a department of defense-approved drug testing software that selects individuals in a completely random, computerized process,” Mr. Talbert said. “I would say the program has been very effective for Dyess.”