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Members of the Union County Anti-Drug Coalition recently gave an interesting presentation at the First Baptist Church of Blairsville fellowship hall. Education Minister Bill Earnest opened the meeting with a prayer and Coalition President Mike Priven introduced the speaker, Cindy Gallucci.

Cindy Gallucci, Anti-Drug Coalition Coordinator, gave a moving testimony about her former experiences with illegal drugs in Louisiana and South Florida . She was quick to give God the glory for changing her life for the better.

She said, "We want to network and collaborate with churches in the area. We must work together to battle against illegal drug use in our county. The Anti-Drug Coalition would like to establish a liaison with each church in the area. Hopefully, this contact person will keep us informed of youth rallies and other happenings."

Gallucci added, "If any church, civic organization or youth group would like the Coalition to come and do an anti-drug presentation, we are available. We are also planning an ongoing series of movies starting in June. If you or your group is interested in attending, please let us know. We will show the movie, have popcorn, and group discussions. Any input or suggestions about this event are appreciated."

The movie series "Addiction" is produced by HBO and is five hours long. It will be shown in four or five parts throughout the next few months. This promises to be an interesting and important event that will educate and hopefully deter young people from trying illegal drugs. As they say, "Prevention is worth a ton of cure." Location and times will be announced soon.

During the meeting, a short film produced in Douglas County was shown. Appropriately titled, "Crystal Death," the movie told the story of a convicted murderer that began his crime spree after becoming addicted to crystal meth. Many members of the audience found the film hard to watch due to its graphic content. Even more disturbing was the fact that the film was based on true facts. The problem is not a fictional "tale." Real people are suffering and families are being torn apart.

The Anti-Drug Coalition's office is located at 41 Hospital Street in Blairsville, Georgia. For more information about the Anti-Drug Coalition visit their web site.