TREATING ADDICTION TO DRUGS

KINGSTON -- Are Rockingham County and the state of New Hampshire
losing the war on drugs?

Nine panelists, with differing experiences in drug treatment,
enforcement and surveillance, attempted to address that question on
Friday at Sanborn Regional High School.

Rather than giving a simple yes or no answer to a complex question,
the public forum, attended by about 50 people, including six local
state representatives and senators, focused on treatment as an
underutilized but effective weapon in the ongoing battle.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Nova Volkow, director of the National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), offered promising statistics and
findings in a prerecorded video address. According to NIDA research,
she said, drug addicts who receive treatment for their disease are
seven times more likely to be drug-free after three years than those
receiving no treatment.

In addition, she said, New Hampshire reaps financial benefits for
offering treatment. "Every dollar invested in drug treatment yields a
$4 to $7 return in reduced drug-abuse associated costs," she said.

"New Hampshire can become a model for the rest of the country in
producing a drug-abuse treatment program for offenders," added Volkow.

Her video address included testimony from rehabilitated drug addicts.
"I want to thank God for seven years of sobriety because of one judge
who offered me treatment instead of prison," said one man. Another
addict, a woman, credited treatment within the prison system for her
successful recovery.

Following Volkow's video, the nine panelists were invited to introduce
themselves and summarize their experiences and preferred strategies
for combating drug abuse. While all the panelists agreed that
combating drug abuse should be a huge priority in New Hampshire, their
battle plans differed.

Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams said that drug cases have
increased substantially for his office, from 16 percent to 26 percent
of all criminal cases over the last five years. The total case load,
he noted, has also doubled during that time.

But Reams said that drug and alcohol addiction is often used as an
excuse by those "who want to avoid responsibility for what they have
done." Many defense attorneys tell their clients to say they have a
drug or alcohol problem in court in hopes of receiving a lesser
sentence. Later, when these clients are offered drug treatment as
inmates, Reams said, they often admit that they don't really have a
drug problem.

"Incarceration, or the threat of incarceration" makes drug-treatment
programs more effective for offenders, he said.

State representative and Rockingham County Jail supervisor Gene
Charron offered a different perspective. "Enough is enough," he said.
"We can't lock everybody up. The dealers, yes, but we need the
treatment programs to help those people who get drawn in. Don't throw
them away." Lucinda Sadler, family court judge in Derry, said that she
meets weekly with at-risk teenagers, their parents, and their
treatment teams.

"Everyone comes to court, and each family hears what's going on with
all the kids," she said. "It's a group effort." Sadler said her court
offers incentives, mainly increased freedoms, for its adolescents
improving their behavior. The court sanctions those who slide. It is a
difficult and not always a successful process, Sadler said, but every
rehabilitation is precious. "Every success gets a graduation, complete
with cake," she said.

Dr. William Siegert, an emergency physician at Exeter Hospital, said
that treating drug patients can be frustrating. "Sometimes we feel
like we're just putting a Band-Aid on the problem," he said. "We're
frustrated that we have no control over the beginning (of a person's
spiral into addiction)." Richard Cram, of Early Mediation and Juvenile
Services, said, "I'm here to tell you that prevention works." His
organization, he said, has seen a 660 percent workload increase over
the past seven years.

"Pot use -- it's considered normal, and that scares me," Cram
said.

"Addiction becomes so easy for these people; they never see it
coming." Tim Lena, student assistance coordinator for the Timberlane
Regional School District, offered more grim statistics. According to a
student survey, he said, 46 percent of Timberlane High School students
drink regularly, 43 percent had used marijuana, and 28 percent used
marijuana regularly.

"I'm here this evening because we're burying too many kids," Lena
said. A framed photograph of Caitlyn Brady, an 18-year-old Kingston
girl who died of a heroin overdose, was displayed at the front of the
stage throughout the evening.

Dr. Eric Vance, a Seacoast child analyst and therapist, said that
treatment offers great hope to addicts. "Treatment changes brain
chemistry for the better," he asserted. "What gives me hope is that we
know what works. What discourages me is that we don't have enough
access and resources for these things in the community." Vance told a
story of a teenage girl who had come to him asking for treatment, who
he had to deny because she was too young to qualify for state and
county programs.

Erik Johannessen of Odyssey NH, attributed the growing drug problem to
a drug-enamored society. "I have to wonder if we have become a society
of "Got a problem? Take a pill'," Johannessen said. "What are we
saying? "Got something to celebrate? Have a drink.'" Johannessen
suggested a "recovery high school" as a way of treating addicted
teens. He added that a feasibility for such a facility is currently
under way.

County Sheriff Dan Linehan said that Rockingham County's priorities
are confused. Money and resources sent to Rockingham County for the
War on Terror, he said, was distributed to the community but "was not
needed, was never used, and was often misdirected." "There hasn't been
enough resources directed to where we really need it -- which is the
beds (for drug treatment), essentially."

Lena offered a nugget of hope. "In the past 10 years, the dialogue has
changed dramatically," he said, noting that the community is finally
coming together in a team effort to fight drug abuse.