GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Drug and substance abuse are often thought of as big city problems, but even rural North Dakota has its share of trouble with these issues, as evidenced by recent headlines.

In order to shed some light on some of these substances, their uses and effects, the Grand Forks Air Force Base Parent Advocates for Students and Schools (PASS) sponsored a special drug awareness and prevention presentation here Sept. 5.

Sgt. Travis Jacobson, a certified drug recognition expert with the Grand Forks Police Department, led a discussion on a variety of substances that could be abused and become addictive. He touched on a number of the usual suspects, such as marijuana and alcohol, and even products as seemingly harmless as over-the-counter cough and cold medications and household cleaning products.

He also addressed spice, or K2, a synthetic drug that Air Force members have heard plenty about since it was first banned in a memorandum signed by Dr. (Lt. Gen.) Charles Green, then-Air Force Surgeon General, in June 2010. President Obama signed the federal law banning spice in July of this year, targeting 31 specific synthetic stimulant, cannabinoid and hallucinogenic compounds.

"Spice is a very unpredictable drug," Jacobson said. "It is between 100 and 800 times more potent than THC, the mind-altering chemical found in marijuana--the equivalent of smoking 100 to 800 marijuana cigarettes."

Jacobson said military members and government employees top the list of likely users, along with 14- to 27-year-olds, experimental drug users, and anyone believing the drug will slip under the radar in a urinalysis.

The alarming spike in spice use prompted senior military leaders to launch an aggressive campaign against the substance that led to the investigation of more than 1,100 suspected users last year alone.

The Air Force has maintained a zero tolerance policy on the drug since the initial ban. The Air Force Surgeon General Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., recently issued a report saying the Air Force Spice Testing Lab is now capable of handling 2,500 active duty samples a month, with the potential to increase testing to 60,000 samples a year.

Certain over-the counter medications, prescription medications and even a plethora of household cleaning products, while legal, can be as dangerous and deadly as spice if abused.

"The legality and ready availability of these items are a couple of reasons we're seeing a rise in their abuse among young people," Jacobson said. "They also don't carry the same stigma as traditional drugs--in their minds, 'it's just pills.' The mixture of these substances with alcohol is what's really deadly."

The best way to defend against abuse and theft of these products in the home, he said, is to keep them under lock and key.

"Even if your kids are not stealing these substances to use or sell them, it doesn't mean that someone else who gains access to your home can't or won't," Jacobson said. "Your kids' friends, your friends, your relatives, your realtor, your landlord--anyone with access to your home could potentially use or steal these substances."

He explained what effects certain drugs may have on the user, such as distinct smells or changes in speech, but said to pay particularly close attention to the eyes.

"You've heard the phrase that the eyes are the window to the soul," he said. "The eyes also give telltale signs when a person is using drugs. The pupils may either be extremely dilated by stimulants, hallucinogens or cannabis, or extremely constricted by narcotics."

He said substance addiction is characterized by compulsion, craving, denial and continued use despite adverse consequences.

"A person who is addicted to drugs stops caring about anything except when, where and how they're going to get their next high," he said. "They don't care if they lose their job, family, friends, money--their whole existence becomes about the drug."

Jacobson compared the process of addiction to dating.

"First, there's the introduction," he said. "Then there's the casual stage; the serious stage; exclusivity; and finally, commitment, or the addiction stage."

In the case of adolescents and young adults, Jacobson said that exposure to these substances can "re-wire the brain when it isn't even fully developed to begin with," opening the door for mood disorders, mental illness, memory problems, anxiety and depression.

"Once exposed to these substances, your brain is never totally the same," he said. "You will never feel as good as you did before you open yourself up to these things."

He said that one of the youngest drug busts he's made in his career was a 12-year-old he caught with methamphetamine. The boy's parents were also users, he said.

The information shared in the presentation left a strong impression on attendees.

"The presentation was truly an eye opener as to what youth are experimenting with and becoming involved in at such young ages," said Kelly Painter, Grand Forks AFB school liaison officer. "Sergeant Jacobson is very knowledgeable on this subject and made the two-and-a-half hours go very quickly."

Painter said she now feels better equipped to talk to her children about drug and substance abuse. She said she will also start being more aware of what to listen for in conversations they have with friends.

"When I got home last night, I talked to my seventh-grader about many different topics that were discussed," she said. "I want to ensure he is safe and makes good decisions on his own."

She added that, "even though, as parents, we might not think our children could be involved with drugs or alcohol, we still need to talk to them and stay in touch with what they are doing and who they are with. Parents are their kids' biggest example as to how to live a healthy and valuable life. We need to take that responsibility very seriously."

Editor's note: PASS is a volunteer organizational that provides military parents and guardians with effective ways to advocate for their children as they transition between school systems. It promotes peer-to-peer networking among parents and organizes workshops like this one, which focused on raising awareness of the dangers of drug and substance abuse.