Leaders: Drug usage has become local 'epidemic'
Larry Deklinski/Staff Photo Northumberland County Coroner James F. Kelley speaks about harmful effects of drug usage during a seminar at Shamokin Area Middle-High School Wednesday.
COAL TOWNSHIP - Drug usage across the county has become an "epidemic," and the only way to stop it is to stand together and fight it as a community.
This was the message from a panel of experts who spoke during a town hall meeting held Wednesday evening at Shamokin Area Middle-High School. The meeting - sponsored by the Central Susquehanna Opportunities Inc. Bridges to the Future Youth Program and Community Action Agency - was designed to portray the huge drug problem that has cropped up in the area in the past nine years and to discuss what can be done about it.
In fact, 10 percent of Northumberland County residents are using illegal drugs. That’s 9,400 people. And these users aren’t all from out of town. It’s neighbors, friends and family members, said District Attorney Tony Rosini. The drug problem affects each and every community member in some manner, he said. Just last week, a county-wide drug bust yielded 52 arrests of suspected street-level drug dealers, 30 of whom were from the Shamokin-Mount Carmel area. This year, five people have died in the county as a result of a drug overdose, Rosini said. "That is too many," he said. Northumberland County Coroner James F. Kelley said in his time as funeral director, 30 people have died of drug overdoses in the county. "One death is one death too many," he said. It’s our problem Kelley said drug awareness is key in preventing deaths and eliminating the area’s drug problem. He urged parents to recognize the signs of addiction and to show "tough love" when necessary. The topic of "community and parental support" was prevalent among the speakers during the town hall meeting, which was attended by about 70 community members. "At what point do we stop saying ‘let someone else deal with it?’" asked Amber Amato, a coordinator at the meeting. Sgt. Todd Owens is field supervisor for the Northumberland-Montour County Drug Task Force and a Mount Carmel police officer. The task force is funded through the state attorney general’s office and allows officers from the two counties to work together to investigate and make narcotic-related arrests, Owens explained. This year alone, the task force has locked up more than 100 sellers and users of illegal drugs. "As frustrating as it seems, the system does work," Owens said. He explained that getting drugs off community streets takes time, and people must understand that the problem can’t be fixed overnight. "We are working very diligently and very hard. It doesn’t happen as quickly as it does on TV," Owens said. Owens, along with several other panel members, urged the community to call the county drug tip hotline, 1-800-DRUG-TIP. Each complaint is investigated, and many of them eventually lead to arrests. ‘Epidemic proportions’ Cpl. Edward Griffiths, narcotics investigator for the City of Shamokin Police Department, explained that the city has a high concentration of heroin use. He described a recent drug bust, where a 3-year-old child was sitting in a home, surrounded by heroin needles. "The worst part is the kids," Griffiths said. "Kids do what they see." He urged parents to lead by example. Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III said "drug crimes are in epidemic proportions" locally. Since taking office in 2001, Gembic said drug use in the area has reached the community and is a "pressing issue." The goal is not to put these drug users in jail for the rest of their lives, he said, but to rehabilitate them, which is why the county implemented drug court three years ago. Michael Barvitskie, county adult probation treatment court specialist, said offenders involved in the program report to President Judge Robert B. Sacavage weekly, and follow many other steps aimed at rehabilitation. Barvitskie said that of 60 graduates of drug court in three years, seven have been re-arrested. "That speaks volumes for drug court," he said. Since many of the drug users are from the area, they will return to the streets after their jail sentence is over, Gembic said. "It is about curing them and making them productive members of the community," he said. ‘Their victims’ Rosini talked about how drug use ultimately affects the whole community. "When they are addicted, they can’t work, and when they can’t work, they steal," he said. "We become their victims." Like Griffiths, Rosini said drug prevention begins at home, and then in the community. He said there needs to be more drug education programs in schools and churches. "We don’t need the community to put their heads in the sand and lock their doors. We need the community’s help," he said. "It won’t get better unless you want it to be better." Northumberland County Commissioner Kurt Masser echoed the same sentiment.
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