Pubdate: Thu, 03 Feb 2005
Source: Salem News (MA)
Copyright: 2005 Essex County Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.salemnews.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3466
Author: Jamie  Jamieson
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/oxycontin.htm (Oxycontin/Oxycodone)

LISTENING FOR ANSWERS TO A GROWING EPIDEMIC

PEABODY - When District Attorney Jon Blodgett hosted a forum on drug abuse
at Peabody High School last year, just seven parents turned out. Last night
more  than 1,100 people packed the school's auditorium, overflowing into the
cafeteria, where a television monitor was set up.

Peabody was ready to listen. Christine Deao listened with her daughter
Kristina, a second-grader dressed in a Brownie uniform, sitting in her
lap. Third-grader Angela sat next to her mom and sister.

"I'm not sure they are going to understand, but I want to educate
myself and maybe my kids will get a little education too," Deao said.
Third grade is just  two years from middle school, and Deao, a 1983
Peabody High grad, wants to make  sure her daughter is ready to say no
to drugs. "Things are so much different and so much scarier now," she
said. She knows firsthand there's a drug problem, because she has a
relative who got in trouble  with heroin a few years ago. "I don't
think it's been dealt with in the right  way. I think it's been
ignored," she said.

Besides the families, there were contingents of Peabody police
officers, coaches and teachers, and just about every athletic team
from the high  school. "We're the girls track team," said Katie
Colbert, identifying the dozen girls lining one of the benches in the
back of the auditorium. They all decided to come when they heard about
the forum. "It wasn't mandatory," runner Amy Ryan said. "We wanted to
come."

After listening to a dozen presentations, many of the kids and parents
said they were moved most by the testimony of Joel Levine, son of
Salem School Superintendent Herb Levine, who became an OxyContin and
heroin addict while a student in Peabody. Today, he is drug-free and
attending Salem State College. His story made the anguish of a life
sacrificed to drugs seem real. Equally stirring was Peabody Police
Detective Scott Richards, who pleaded with parents to "be the boss in
your own home."

"I came tonight because my mom saw the forum in the paper," said
Anthony Arduino, who attends Higgins Middle School. He and his friends
said they knew someone in the neighborhood who had died from a drug
overdose. Before last night, they had no idea what heroin looked like
or how much it cost. And they were amazed to hear the numbers. Last
year, for instance, there were 39 confirmed overdose deaths in Essex
County. Last Sunday, three more young people  died from overdoses.

Suzanne Lanzikos came from Beverly to listen because she has been
thinking that her city needs to do something, as well. Her children
are 16 and 13. The speakers were "powerful," she said. "We've got
everybody motivated," she said. "But now, what's the next step?"

Superintendent Nadine Binkley, one of the speakers at the forum, said
it's a little early to know what the next step should be. "Right now,
it's important to  get the message out," she said.

School officials have informally discussed the possibility of drug
testing, but aren't ready to talk about drastic remedies like that.
"We're in the very, very early stages of discussing it," she said.

One step the high school has taken is to form a council of sports team
captains. It will take a little time for the council to gel, she said.
But the athletes have already started to talk about the possibility of
drug testing, themselves.

Next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., the high school will host "Courage to
Speak," a drug education program aimed at parents and students.
Binkley is hoping parents and students turn out for that event the way
they did last night. "I was very pleasantly surprised," she said of
the overflow crowd. "I just think it was terrific."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin