Pubdate: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 Source: Boston Globe (MA) Copyright: 2004 Globe Newspaper Company Contact: http://www.boston.com/globe/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52 Author: Jenn Abelson A $1,000 THANK YOU TO DRUG BUSTERS A local drug abuse prevention group will be presenting a $1,000 check to the Marshfield Police Department on Saturday to recognize its work busting drug dealers and supporting the DARE program over the past year. The Marshfield Drug Abuse Prevention Committee was formed last summer after a local teenager just out of rehab wrote to an online forum that more needed to be done to address what he viewed as "rampant"substance abuse problems in Marshfield. Since then, the group has reached out to residents and law enforcement officials to help heighten awareness about drug use among youths and discuss ways to combat the problem. The committee also holds monthly support sessions for parents whose teenagers are struggling with substance abuse. Steve Whitmore, a founding member of the group, said he's very impressed with the Police Department's success in cracking down on local drug dealers and working with teenagers on prevention education. "It's essentially to congratulate them and show our appreciation for all their effort and success so far," Whitmore said. "They've really been busting their tails to nail people left and right" Marshfield police officials attribute the success to increased training of officers, growing public awareness, and a more aggressive approach toward enforcement. Police Lieutenant Phil Tavares said the department is definitely receiving more anonymous tips about possible drug activity in town since the local prevention group was formed last summer. Over the past year, there have been several significant busts, including one that resulted in the seizure of several kilograms of cocaine, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, automobiles, and houses, Tavares said. Along with these efforts, Whitmore also praised the department's prevention programs in the schools, particularly with the DARE, or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, program. Local support for the program follows harsh criticism from state officials after a criminal justice report called DARE a failure earlier this year. In April, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey said she would not recommend resurrecting state funding for the DARE program until a nationwide study is completed several years from now. State funding for DARE was cut in 2002 by Acting Governor Jane Swift from $4.3 million to $200,000. But in Marshfield, Tavares said he has received only positive feedback about the program and he firmly believes it's a needed resource. As an example, he talked about the recent case of a DARE graduate who called the police on his mother after finding marijuana in the house. "Having teenagers feel comfortable talking about problems with police -- you can't beat that," Tavares said. "It really helps any time you can get an officer outside a cruiser, and work in partnership with a drug alliance in the schools." Although a recent school survey showed drug and alcohol use decreasing among seventh- and ninth-graders in Marshfield, some residents saw the study as insufficient because it didn't ask about the use of OxyContin, a powerful and addictive painkiller, or heroin -- both increasingly popular drugs -- and older high school students were not surveyed. Over the next year, Whitmore said, his group plans to reach out to churches and other local organizations to help strengthen awareness efforts to fight substance abuse in Marshfield. "We've got a long way to go. Stopping drug abuse is a never-ending battle," Whitmore said. "But it doesn't mean we're not making progress." The Marshfield Drug Abuse Prevention Committee is presenting the $1,000 check and a plaque to the Police Department at a ceremony Saturday at 10 a.m. behind the Marshfield Police Department. State Representative Frank Hynes, a Marshfield Democrat, and Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz will be speaking at the event. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D