News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 2002

DEA DENVER TO HOST ROCKY MOUNTAIN CLUB DRUG CONFERENCE

The Denver Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration is hosting the Rocky Mountain Club Drug Conference in Fort Collins, Colorado, September 25-27, 2002. TEAM Fort Collins, Poudre School District Safe and Drug Free Schools, the Larimer County Drug Task Force, the Colorado National Guard, Rocky Mountain HIDTA will be co-sponsoring the conference.

The goal of the conference is to bring together law enforcement personnel, prevention specialists/coalitions, and treatment professionals for a comprehensive conference focusing on Club Drugs. Emphasis will be placed on community collaboration, as well as issues specific to prevention, treatment, and law enforcement professionals.

Confirmed speakers include:

Asa Hutchinson, Director, Drug Enforcement Administration
Dr. David Smith, President & Founder, Haight Ashbury Clinic
William Weinman, Group Supervisor, Denver Field Division
Joel Painter, MA, LPC, Jacob Center
Jim Hall, Executive Director, Up Front Drug Information Center
Peter Reijnders, Netherlands Police Commissioner
Jep Enck, Executive Director, TEAM Fort Collins
Bruce Mendelson, Researcher, Colorado Dept. of Human Services
Doug Cover, Investigator, Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office
Jeff Linkenbach, Director, Montana Social Norms Project
Cheryl Asmus, PHD, Colorado State University
Marcie Chambers, Rose Teen and Resource Center
Doug Lambert, Investigator, Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office
Omar Aleman, Demand Reduction Coordinator, Miami Field Division
Dr. Glen Hanson, Acting Director NIDA

The conference will provide accurate, up to date information and encourage community-wide collaboration to develop a community responses to the serious issue of Club Drugs.

For more information call Dennis Follett, Rocky Mountain Division, Demand Reduction Coordinator at 303-705-7353.

SPONSORS

DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION

The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is To enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members oforganizations, involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States; and to recommend and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets.

TEAM FORT COLLINS

In the spring of 1989, a few key local agencies formed a committee to seek drug use and alcohol abuse alternatives in our city of then 93,000 people. This nucleus, of what was to become TEAM Fort Collins, realized a more comprehensive approach utilizing the whole community to address the problems of substance abuse. By September of 1989, TEAM Fort Collins came into existence with over 100 members representing most aspects of city life.

TEAM Fort Collins is a non-profit community partnership, whose mission is to promote a healthy lifestyle through education, awareness, and programs, preventing the abuse and illegal use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs among youth, their families and our community.

POUDRE SCHOOL DISTRICT
SAFE AND DRUG FREE SCHOOLS

The mission of the safe and drug free school office at poudre school district is to direct the district's efforts in prevention with curricula and programs that are research based and comply with nationally recognized strategies. The district believes that students need to be encouraged to live healthy and productive lives that contribute to the betterment of our community every bit as much as they need to be taught those things that have a negative effect. We make every attempt to stay current with the science of prevention to ensure the best results possible. We believe it is important that our students receive accurate and honest prevention messages, across the span of their experiences as students and that these messages be delivered from a wide specter of the community. To this end, our prevention efforts typically involve community partners, hoping to impart a consistent community message of health.

We are delighted to be co-hosting this conference and hope you enjoy your stay in our community.

LARIMER COUNTY DRUG TASK FORCE

Larimer County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff James Alderden
Fort Collins Police Services, Chief Dennis V. Harrison
Loveland Police Services, Chief Thomas Wagoner
Colorado State University Police Department, Chief Donn Hopkins

The participating agencies of the Larimer County Drug Task Force agree that a cooperative and coordinated multi-jurisdictional drug task force is the most effective and efficient way to impact the drug problem that does not respect jurisdictional boundaries within larimer county. This partnership is based on the belief that the pooling of each agency's resources, information, expertise, equipment and money allows for a greater impact on a drug problem than any one agency could achieve with their own jurisdictional boundaries.

COLORADO NATIONAL GUARD

The National Guard Counterdrug Program, with members in most major communities, provides highly skilled personnel, specialized equipment, and facilities to support law enforcement agencies and community based organizations in response to the changing drug threats.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIDTA
(HIGH INTENSITY DRUG TRAFFICKING AREA)

The mission of the Rocky Mountain HIDTA is to support the National Drug Control Strategy to reduce drug use in this nation. Specifically, the Rocky Mountain HIDTA ultimate mission is to facilitate cooperation and coordination among federal, state and local drug enforcement efforts to enhance combating the drug trafficking problem locally, regionally and nationally. This mission is accomplished through promoting and supporting the establishment of joint multi-agency collocated drug task forces, working cooperatively with other drug enforcement initiatives including interdiction, information sharing and training.