New coalition’s goal: Keep youth off drugs

As Published in the Record Journal Saturday January 26, 2013

By Jesse Buchanan

Record-Journal staff

WALLINGFORD — Community leaders and parents are teaming to fight what they see as a growing prescription drug and heroin problem.

The Coalition for a Better Wallingford wants to distribute Narcan, which counteracts overdoses, to police, schools and health services. At the group’s meeting Thursday, members said more needs to be done to keep young people from getting into drugs.

The group is led by Jennifer Short and Ken Welch, parents of 20-year-old Taylor Short, who died of an apparent overdose in New Haven in November.

“The number of kids who have died is unacceptable,” Welch said Thursday. Research done by Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital researcher Traci Green shows Wallingford with above average rates of drug addiction and deaths in recent years.

“The numbers are skyrocketing, in her professional opinion,” Welch said.

The study has not yet been published.

While the group is working to prevent overdose deaths in the short term, Welch said its long-term work will be on ways to reduce drug abuse.

“We see our mission as much more broad-based than just keeping kids from dying,”he said.

Rich Figlewski, founder of sober cafe The Dry Dock, said Thursday that trends show young people getting addicted to prescription opiates and then switching to heroin due to the lower cost.

“What we’re seeing in town is a perfect correlation of that,” said Craig Turner, Youth and Social Services director.

“The challenge is completely different than it was before,” he said. “We can’t keep doing what we’ve been doing.” Town Councilors John Sullivan and John LeTourneau also attended Thursday’s meeting, along with School Superintendent Sal Menzo.

Based on drug suspension and expulsion numbers, Menzo said, in-school drug use hasn’t spiked. When drugs are found, the school acts.

“We act on what we know, just like everybody else,” he said.

The group discussed having drug-sniffing dogs in the schools, a drop box for unwanted prescription drugs and town wide organizations to promote healthy choices among youth.

Taylor Short’s parents, Turner and others have spoken at council meetings about the efforts to fight drug use. Town councilors asked what the group wanted the town to do.

“We need to be able to answer that question effectively for anyone who wants to get involved,” Turner said.

Recent drug-related deaths include those of a 26-year-old Wallingford woman and her 13-month old-child, who were found dead in December with drugs and drug paraphernalia nearby. Authorities determined that the child was accidentally smothered under her mother’s body.

Thursday’s meeting was the group’s third.