FBI reaching out to high schools to combat drug problem

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – The FBI is reaching out to high school students in Kentucky as part of the strategy to combat the state’s illegal drug scourge.

FBI officials said Thursday they hope to visit Kentucky high schools to show a 45-minute documentary film showcasing the ravages caused by heroin and prescription drug abuse. The video profiles the plight of drug abusers, in their own words.

Howard S. Marshall, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Louisville Division, says the goal is to show the dangers of drug use at a time when teenagers are tempted to experiment with drugs. He calls it “a life-and-death decision.”

The initiative comes as health officials call drug overdoses a public health crisis.

Marshall says drug organizations are proving to be formidable adversaries as law enforcement tries to dismantle them.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.