Forsyth – As the Congress currently debates remedies to the heroin epidemic in America, the rise in drug use among Forsyth County’s students is causing alarm here at home.

A recent survey conducted in five Forsyth County High Schools, with more than 1,000 respondents, indicate that the fifty-six percent of students in Forsyth County have used marijuana in the past year, while twenty-two percent have used harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

The survey of the public school students, which was conducted by former Forsyth County Chief of Detectives and current candidate for Sheriff, Ron Freeman, also showed that twenty-one percent of the students who answered witnessed a fellow student under the influence of drugs and/ or alcohol during school hours.

After polling confirmation of his belief that drug use in schools was widespread, Ron Freeman announced plans to place a Sheriff’s Deputy in every public school in the county, not to enforce discipline, but to ensure schools are safe havens for students.

“The facts are clear: Forsyth County is now the third highest in the state in drug overdoses, and the scourge of addiction begins in our schools,” said Freeman. “We need more Deputies on the ground and in the frontlines of our high schools and middle schools to tamp down rampant drug use.”

Mr. Freeman continued, “Additionally, it is critical to have the presence of deputies in our elementary schools. This will help in early prevention education efforts and forge a level of trust between law enforcement and youngsters within our schools.”

The call for more deputies assigned to the Narcotics Unit is not a new one for those familiar to the current campaign for sheriff. Over the last four years, the number of deputies assigned to combating drugs has been reduced to three deputies.

“Just as the data shows that more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens means less crime, so does the data show that the presence of law enforcement mean less crime,” said Freeman.

A recent study by the Brennan School of Justice at the NYU School of Law, What Really Caused the Crime Decline?, examined the reduction in crime during the years of Mayor Rudy Giuliani. This report confirms through empirical data that Mr. Freeman is correct and that more officers means less crime.

“It’s a no-brainer. If we have law enforcement in every school – which is primarily there to protect my children and yours from unthinkable tragedies – their presence will without a doubt result in a lower number of children that will fall into the cycle of addiction,” said Freeman. He continued, “For me, as a parent, neighbor, and friend to so many in our community, that is worth fighting for.”

The debate over whether to place a Sheriff’s Deputy into every one of Forsyth County’s public schools is a contentious one. And thus far, Ron Freeman is the only candidate to propose such a measure to combat drug use in schools.