Pubdate: Fri, 20 May 2005 Source: Allston-Brighton Tab (MA) Copyright: 2005 Allston-Brighton Tab Contact: http://www2.townonline.com/allston/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3611 Author: Cyndi Roy Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/oxycontin.htm (Oxycontin/Oxycodone) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) STRATEGY OFFERED TO DEAL WITH STATE'S DRUG ABUSE EPIDEMIC With substance abuse reaching epidemic proportions in Massachusetts, Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey unveiled a plan Monday that funds additional treatment services, targets methamphetamine sales, and calls for assistance to school districts that test students for drugs. Massachusetts is among the top 5 percent of states with the highest drug and alcohol abuse rates. The Bay State ranks number one for Oxycontin and heroin use. In 1996, there were 200 opiate-related fatal overdoses, a number that jumped to 449 statewide in 2003. And among teens admitted for substance abuse treatment, they were experimenting with the drug at an average age of 13. Healey and other public health officials said there is no single reason behind those unwanted rankings, but said a persistent denial of the problem likely fuels its prevalence. Healey shared the administration's plan with members of the Legislature's new Committee on Mental Health and Substance abuse before discussing it a scheduled press conference Monday morning. "One thing that came out of my discussion with committee members that occurred earlier this morning is the urgency of this problem," she said. "We cannot afford to wait any longer to take action on these items." The administration's 93-page strategic plan focuses on identifying, treating and preventing drug use in schools, something which Healey and a bipartisan group of lawmakers joining with her said has long been overlooked. The plan calls for the state to assist communities with the implementation of drug testing on high school students and establishes two "sobriety high schools" in Boston and Springfield, where students recovering from drug addiction could continue their rehab while finishing their education. Tolman delighted States like Minnesota have run sobriety high schools for more than a decade, said Sen. Steven Tolman, D-Brighton, cochairman of the committee. Tolman, who two weeks ago demanded that the administration set a date for releasing its long-awaited plan, joined with Healey to support the proposal. He commended the administration for including in the plan the establishment of sobriety high schools. "Anybody who wants to pretend that we don't have a problem in every one of our communities with Oxycontin and heroin belongs on Mars," Tolman said. "It is outrageous. Most of the children that are coming out of detox, we're finding, when they're put back in their environment, are failing." According to Healey, 90 percent of students who attend a sobriety school after rehab graduate. Ninety-percent of those who come out of treatment programs and go back to their old schools fail, she said. The strategic plan is predicated on legislative approval of $9.1 million included in a supplemental budget filed by the administration earlier this year. Healey said the money would help 6,000 to 8,000 more drug users in need of rehab services, and attract $14.5 million in federal matching funds. Tolman said he expects lawmakers to approve the funds within the next two to three weeks. More on prevention The state spends more than $250 million a year on substance abuse treatment programs, with prevention accounting for just 11 percent of those funds. But the state's existing system of prevention and treatment is haphazard, Healey said, spread across 13 state agencies that don't communicate with each other. More than 82,000 Massachusetts residents received drug abuse treatment services last year. It's estimated another 40,000 sought treatment but were denied because of a lack of resources, according to a recent Brandeis University study. Salem Schools Superintendent Herbert Levine attended the press conference and lauded the administration's proposals, adding that Salem is close to implementing its own drug-testing program. Levine's 20-year-old son Joel is a recovering Oxycontin addict, who told his father he would have never tried the drug if the schools he attended had randomly tested students. "I don't think that student drug-testing is necessarily the answer to all the problems," Levine said. "We know that that's not the case. But it's an answer. It's another arrow in the quiver for us in education to be able to help parents. " As part of the plan, Gov. Mitt Romney also filed legislation that gives prosecutors new tools to crack down on methamphetamine. The bill contains a list of chemicals that can be used to manufacture meth, as it is known, and possession of any one, or combination of, these chemicals with intent to manufacture or distribute will constitute a felony offense punishable up to five years in prison and up to $20,000 in fines. "I think all of you probably know the devastation that methamphetamine has been causing in other parts of the country," Healey said. "It has been marching toward us from the West Coast. It's currently devastating the Midwest. We can see that it will soon reach our borders." - --- MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman