My 'Drug Danger Zones of Utah' Letter Today to Utah State House Majority Leader Mike Schultz

 I am very glad I wrote and sent this vigilant report tonight to Utah State House Majority Leader Mike Schultz of the Utah Legislature: 

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: "John McMillan" <mcmillanj@att.net>

To: "Mike Schultz" <mikeschultz@le.utah.gov>, "Mike Weichers" <mweichers@ch.utah.gov>, "Paul A. Cutler" <pcutler@le.utah.gov>, "Gay Lynn Bennion" <glbennion@le.utah.gov>, "Cameron Roden" <croden@utah.gov>, "mike.brown" <mike.brown@slcgov.com>, "Him-roi" <him-roi@umail.utah.edu>, "contactus@imail.org" <contactus@imail.org>, "chad.atkinson" <chad.atkinson@slcgov.com>, "leo.abila" <leo.abila@slcgov.com>, "marie.stewart" <marie.stewart@slcgov.com>, "todd.mitchell" <todd.mitchell@slcgov.com>, "Joel Briscoe" <jbriscoe@le.utah.gov>, "Jplumb" <jplumb@le.utah.gov>, "Joe Dougherty (DHHS)" <joedougherty@utah.gov>, "utahdistrict02@gmail.com" <utahdistrict02@gmail.com>, "Angela Romero" <angelaromero@le.utah.gov>, "Internships" <internships@romney.senate.gov>, "Joel_wellum" <joel_wellum@lee.senate.gov>, "Schools Utah Webmaster" <webmaster@schools.utah.gov>, "anielson@murrayschools.org" <anielson@murrayschools.org>, "Murrayschools Info" <info@murrayschools.org>, "mballard@le.utah.gov" <mballard@le.utah.gov>, "communications@utahbar.org" <communications@utahbar.org>, "University of Utah Student Newspaper 2022" <press@chronicle.utah.edu>, "newsmedia@ldschurch.org" <newsmedia@ldschurch.org>, "Deseret News 2022" <dnweb@deseretnews.com>, "jessanderson@utah.gov" <jessanderson@utah.gov>, "Drew Hadley" <drew.hadley@slcgov.com>, "scott.stuck" <scott.stuck@slcgov.com>, "Rori Andreason" <randreason@midvale.com>, "Kimberly Foster" <kimberly.foster@wvc-ut.gov>, "UT_Webmanager" <ut_webmanager@hud.gov>, "Attorney General of Utah" <uag@utah.gov>, "Uag" <uag@agutah.gov>

Sent: Sat, Dec 23, 2023 at 10:03 PM

Subject: 12-23-23 Illicit Drug Danger Zones of Utah

December 23, 2023

Dear Utah State House of Representatives Majority Leader Mike Schultz,

I appreciate this wonderful opportunity you have kindly offered me to write and e-mail to you   additional concerns of mine relating to Utah.

One of my concerns is that I sense that the anti-illicit-drug educational programs currently being offered in primary and secondary and post-secondary public schools or colleges in Utah have failed to adequately persuade all of  their students  to permanently abstain from any and all illicit drugs on a lifelong basis.

I mention this because many of the youths of Utah have, in fact, consumed the illegal drug marijuana and a beverage --- alcohol -- that is flagrantly  illegal for them to consume on any occasion when they are under age 21.

As the "Utah Department of Health and Human Services" state agency recently  reported online:

"Alcohol (8.1%) and marijuana (7.8%) were the most commonly abused substances among adolescents in grades 9-12 in Utah, 2021 from the Youth Risk Behavior (YRBS) survey. SHARP data showed a rate of current alcohol use of 5.3% and a rate of current marijuana use of 5.9% Statewide in 2021 in grades 8, 10, and 12.

"In 2021,Southeast (9.3%), Summit County (8.7%), and Weber-Morgan (8.7%) Local Health Districts (LHDs) had significantly higher rates of current alcohol use than the state while Utah County (3.0%), and Davis County (4.3%) LHDs had lower rates.

"Also in 2021, Southeast (11.3%), Weber-Morgan (8.2%), and Salt Lake County (7.3%) LHDs had a significantly higher rate of current marijuana use than the state while Central (4.0%), and Utah County (3.7%) LHDs had lower rates."

Possibly the Utah State House under your courageous leadership could approve a new law that authorizes additional state funding for sponsorship of additional education programs and public service announcements  promoting illicit-drug-free and alcohol-free  lifestyles in each of the counties and cities of Utah that your sagacious and insightful  House has identified as the "Drug Danger Zones of Utah".

I am also very hopeful that you might ask the Utah State  House to approve a legal requirement that all public school students in Utah must successfully complete a special State-approved mini-course on the harmful effects of alcohol, marijuana,  each of the  other illicit  drugs, tobacco, and vaping before they are allowed to graduate from their school. 

Requirements for passing that  mini-course could include mandatory attendance at a "Utah Drug Disasters Documentary" that highlights real-life stories about Utahn youths whose lives were ruined by their illicit-drug addiction or alcohol addiction or tobacco addiction or vaping addiction. 

I also feel that the consumption of illicit drugs by underage Utahns can be discouraged in part by Utah State House approval of funding for a "Get a Drug Dealer Arrested!" 24-hour-a-day and year-round statewide  hotline service  inviting anonymous tips from any and all Utahn youths, their parents, educators, school administrators,  and all other Utahns.

I also hope that the Utah State House under your fine leadership will approve funding for a new study to identify the percentage of all youths in Utah of today who have sold one or more illicit drugs to another person in the most recent 12-month period, regardless of the amount of money that youth received in exchange for his  "hand-off" of an illicit drug to another youth or to  an adult.

 The earlier in the  illicit "career" of an incipient drug dealer that Utah public school districts and Utah police departments can intervene and help re-direct the focus of each  "aspiring new drug dealer" toward a law-abiding and honorable career as a businessman in Utah, the better it will be for our entire state and the well-being of all Utahns.

A separate "aspiring drug pusher"  study for which your insightful House might approve funding could obtain an estimate on the percentage of all Utahn minors who on at least one occasion in the most recent calendar year  urged other minors  to consume an illicit drug, and who themselves were a "friend" or "acquaintance" or "relative"  of  an illicit drug dealer during that time period, or who themselves were  paid financially by an illicit-drug dealer in exchange for that flagrantly illicit "testimonial" about "the 'joy' of getting high on marijuana'" or some other illicit drug.

I am reminded that one day earlier this year as I walked outdoors on a public sidewalk near a student dormitory of the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, I was very surprised and dismayed to observe a black male apparent student on that campus who was himself talking loudly and in a seemingly gleeful manner with other University of Utah  students about what he said were his own personal  experiences with consuming cocaine.

I did not see or smell any crack cocaine or any other illicit drug, and I feared retaliation against me if I had reported my suspicions about that young black man's conduct to the University of Utah Department of Public Safety. I also knew that during that time period I was employed by a professional contract services provider for  the University of Utah, and I feared losing my job on that campus if some of the students there suspected me of being a "snitch" or a "narc" for the police or if any of my work supervisors on that campus  regarded me as "too controversial" for that public university and its students.

Utah House Majority Leader Schultz, I hope that this additional tentative brainstorming letter from me proves to be helpful to you as you prepare for the next session of the Utah State Legislature that begins  in January 2024.

Sincerely and Best Wishes,

former Texas DPS full-time employee and current permanent Utah resident John Kevin McMillan, 535 South 200 East, Apt. 912, Ninth Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84111.

My cell phone: (512) 993-7305.

My home phone: (801) 355-0850.