Anti-anxiety drug makes rounds in middle school
A student took 120 of the prescription drug pills from a family member and brought them to Gate City Middle School on Wednesday, distributing them among 13 students, Police Chief Jason Cox said.
“Our investigation shows that he took several of the pills on his own, to the point of overdosing,” Cox said. “Another student that we interviewed said she received pills from him and took six of them.”
Those students, and others who overdosed, received medical attention, Cox said.
In a separate incident Monday, two students crushed Xanax tablets and snorted them, intensifying the drug’s potency, Cox said.
The students implicated in the drug activity are ages 12 and 13, he said.
Because of the number of students allegedly involved, the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force was called in to assist in the investigation.
Cox said a student came forward to report Wednesday’s drug activity and a teacher also reported a student who appeared intoxicated. He encouraged parents to alert police to any suspected drug activity.
“This has really gotten the attention of students, of parents and school personnel,” Cox said. “It’s really shaken some trees and it’s been a large eye-opener.”
Students could be charged under a new state law that creates a separate felony for distribution of an illegal drug within 1,000 feet of school property.
The middle school principal did not immediately return a telephone message from The Associated Press.