Benchmark was mentioned in an article by The Valdosta Daily Times with regard to a community information session organized by our company to inform and educate law enforcement and the public about a new drug called “Flakka.”
Print Excerpt:
by Adam Floyd
VALDOSTA — Benchmark Human Services sponsored a community information sharing session this week focused on “flakka,” a dangerous synthetic drug surging in popularity throughout the South.
Benchmark Human Services provides crisis intervention services throughout Georgia, and Thursday, the company hosted more than 100 area law-enforcement, medical and mental health professionals and business leaders to a luncheon at the James H. Rainwater Conference Center to discuss flakka.
Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Stryde Jones gave a presentation on the drug and its growth. “We did talk about the increasing prevalence of flakka in our community and the potential effects it has on the users, their families and members of the community,” Jones said.
“Our main goal was to make sure that we are sharing good and current information.”
Jones pointed to representations of flakka and other synthetic drugs in popular music and movies as possibly contributing to their increased use, especially among teenagers and young adults.
“We’ve got to work together with the various resource providers in the community to make sure we are approaching this in a unified manner.”