May 3, 2012. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse: “Every day in the United States, an average of 2,000 teenagers use prescription drugs without a doctor’s guidance for the first time.”
Melissa Reaves and Friends, special guests the Boone Mennonite Brethren Choir, headline for “One Pill Kilz… or worse” – Benefit Concert For Rx Abuse Awareness, an event aimed at both raising awareness and funds for prescription drug abuse and misuse and to also help provide a proper defense for Kyle Horton, 24-year-old son of Paula Horton, a resident of the High Country. The event will be at The Inn at Crestwood in Boone on Sunday, May 6, from 3 to 6 p.m. Tickets $10 in advance from the High Country Press office and Savory Thymes in Boone. Tickets will be $12 at the door and kids under 16 get in for free.
There will be three hours of live music, refreshments, free food, a silent auction and a raffle while being connected to resources and information about prescription drug abuse. The event’s organizer, Paula Horton, hopes to rally the community beyond to the dangers of prescription drug abuse, particularly among young people. The proceeds will be divided between organizations focused on awareness and her son’s defense fund.
Horton had no idea of the extent of her son’s drug usage and – like many parents – thought it stopped with occasionally smoking marijuana. Shortly before his arrest this past fall, her son came to her for help and she focused a lot of energy and attention into connecting with resources and seeking the drug treatment she knew could ultimately save his life. It crushed her when everywhere she looked turned them away, and less than one week later her son was gone again – off with “friends” and taken to jail. Since his arrest she has become acutely aware of the double life he led, which started at the age of 12 when his friend brought over 2 bottles of valium, and later at age 13 his doctor prescribed Vicodin for a sore throat.
“One Pill Kilz… or worse!” is the culmination of all the dead-ends Horton has run up against in her pursuit of helping her son find his way. He currently faces a very serious allegation and has been assigned a real estate attorney as his public defender – a man who has never tried a case in court. Horton wants her son to have fair trial and a proper defense – which is where the fundraiser can help with financial support. According to Horton, what her son really needed was a chance at rehabilitation. Now he is in serious danger of being put in prison because of his choices while under the influence. It is Horton’s intention to help other families learn what they can do before their loved ones are facing incarceration like her son. “One pill can kill” is a very personal call to action and the community’s support is needed.
For more information, email Paula Horton at paulamariehorton@yahoo.com. Donations can also be made at onepillkilz.webs.com.
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