University of South Carolina Libraries
E-MAIL You hate us in the Fall and Spring. Are we just better in the summer? Write us. GCKVIEWS@SC.EDU. Wednesday, June 16,1999 i Hit? Serving the Carolina C EDITORS Brad Walters, Kevin Langston, Emily Streyer, Kenley Young, HliUMiMiM Minors sti tobacco pi Substance abuse prevention and treatment in South cni}th Tnm Carolina might suffer . , a considerable setback lOSejUYlds if the state can't keepbuyint reduce tobacco sales to minors. This year, 19.8 percent of teen-agers 14 to 17 who were jOCUS Ott iltl sent to buy cigarettes rathe)' than were successful, according to a study conducted by the S.C. Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services. And even though that's down from from 24.7 percent in 1998 and a whopping 63.2 percent in 1994, South Carolina stands to lose $7.2 million in federal prevention and treatment funds if the state can't keep that rate below 20 percent in the 2000 study. Despite this state's vast, 43.4 percent improvement over the past five years, the federal government plans to punish South Carolina for its progress. Rather than threatening the state with cutbacks, the government should m Hie0 Serving tlx Carolina C The Gamecock is the student newspaper of The University Friday during the fall and spring semesters and eight times during periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the edi The Board of Student Publications and Communicalions is the pu the newspaper's parent organization. The Gan Brad Walters Editor in Chief Clayton Kale News Editor in I onoctnn Esiitnr Emily Streyer Features Editor Student Ellen S. Parsons Director of Student Media Lee Phlpps Advertising Manager Susan King Creative Director Kris Black Creative Services Editor gcked@sc.edu 777-3914 News gckneivs@sc.edu 777-7726 Viewpoints gckvietvs@sc.edu 777-7726 Advertising 777-3888 Classified 777-1184 V! amccock ~ommunity since 1908 X BOARD Editor in Chief Viewpoints Editor Features Editor Copy Desk Chief 11 getting rnrinrte commend South : Carolina for keeping Urn might '"egal tobacco sales ? relatively low this year. Statewide law g tobciCCO, enforcement agencies should be praised, too, for keeping a diligent nt should provement so many other drugassigning and alcohol-related crimes to worry about, ' and limited manpower makes it impossible for them to patrol every corner convenience store. In South Carolina, it's legal for people under 18 to buy tobacco products, but it's illegal for a store to sell those products to a minor. Instead of reprimanding the state for its improvement, the government's time would be better spent researching and amending questionable laws like this one. Those necessary federal millions support prevention programs that are both worthwhile and effective, and there's no reason to suspect that tobacco sales to minors will increase in this state with the passage of time. Miecock pai ommiinity since 1908 / of South Carolina and is published Monday, Wednesday and the summer with the exception of university holidays and exam iocs or author and not those of The University of South Carolina, iblisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media is lecock Charlie Wallace Sports Editor Kenley Young Copy Desk Chief Ashton June Photo Editor Matt Ryan Online Editor Media Sherry F. Holmes Classified Manager Carolyn Griffln Business Manager Erik Collins Faculty Advisor Etc. gckelc@sc.edu 777-3913 Sports gcksports@sc.edu 777-7182 Online gckonli@sc.edu 777-2833 Fax 777-6482 Business Office 777-3888 ewpoi: The Gamecock ? rry Alzheimer's As I was working last week in one of Five Points' fine eating establishments, I overheard some customers old"tiiiiGr CLAYTON ~KALE ov'eTthf columnist sandwich counter and throttling the customers is against store policy. Instead, I kept my feelings about wnai tney saia insiae. Fve never liked it when people call Alzheimer's disease "old-timer's disease." 1 I feel they're making light of a condition ' that no one wants to go through or, even worse, see happen to a loved one. As far back as I can remember, my grandmother would forget where she ' put things or forget that she'd already put pepper in the dressing, but I just figured that was her way. "Dingy" is the tprm nf PTntpnrmpnt mv fnmilv hcpH +p describe her. It wasn't until I was in about the fourth or fifth grade that my 1 mother told me she suspected Grandma had Alzheimer's. I had no clue what that meant. I thought it was something like the common cold that would go away, ' but after time and some heart-to-hearts 1 with my granddad, I learned it wouldn't qy "Th in MTQ L 1 JL /i?PNEWS\\^ 4 \ne cmco i UgMENOW. % i jokes not vei get better; it would only get worse. her. I Some things I remember laughing or tw at. It wasn't until later that I realized two n nothing was funny. We laughed to keep the d from crying. One day, I remember keeping visit, a tally of how many times Grandma G offered me corn at dinner, even though signs I already had a huge golden pile on my introc plate. But that game got old after five into ti minutes and somewhere around 10 offers, in rh Her memories froze at the point in soum her life in which the dementia started, block To her, no matter how tall I got or long W my hair grew, I was about six years old. actua It was embarrassing going out to dinner I misi with the family and having Grandmother hum* cut my steak for me. joyfu] Sometimes, she'd suddenly believe the w she was in early motherhood again and had t think I was her son. For the last year know that she recognized me at all, she called woulc me 'lbny, her youngest son. For the last and two years of her life, she'd introduce remei berself to me when I walked into the how s room, even if I'd just stepped outside was n for a moment. Wher It was puzzling to see how her mind her, I would work backwards, as if she were befori becoming a baby again. When the disease M beld her full force, she'd talk to hear Alzhe berself speak. She'd read the signs as hear < we drove down the road; "Hardee's next the S? left. Yep, that's what that says." Or loved i sometimes she'd tell me that Granddad for AI said to tell me "hello." Granddad died a come year before. passu Because the care for her began to years diminish at the nursing home in goth] Spartanburg, we moved her to Durham, I] where my uncle could keep an pye.on gtepff PTE, UNQUOTE ie [tuition] increase is modest comparison to other institutions in this state." John Palms, USCPresident Page 3 college press exchange ry funny nstead of getting to see her once ice a week, I got to visit her every lonths or so. I could tell how much isease had advanced from visit to randma went from reading the : as we drove down the road and luring herself every time I walked he mom to heine ahle to sneak nnlv yming, gibberish sentences. It ded like Dr. Seuss with writer's lien Grandma passed away, I was illy relieved. Don't get me wrong, s her; she was one of the sweetest ins to ever grace the earth, with a [ laugh and the best head-rubs in orld. But I was glad she no longer 0 suffer, even though she didn't she was suffering. And I knew it 1 folro q lnf nf cfmcc nff m\; fomilu X MUVv U 1UV VI OUXVsOO Vli. XXXJ XUWII IJ me. I often cried at night, nbering playing at her house and he called my name to tell me lunch gady. I took those days for granted. 11 was old enough to appreciate had to introduce myself to her 51 could get a kiss on the cheek, y experience dealing with imer's disease makes me angry to 3ne make light of it. I imagine it's une way someone who watched a me suffer through AIDS has disdain DS jokes. It seems I have just now to terms with my grandmother's ig, even thjo ij :lj ijt was about four ago. ] tutm y v life ar I am about to -ough it al ag&fn. iad t) iift>< itcbUyself to my ither' b a. |