A SUBURBAN SCOURGE

When law enforcement officers cracked down recently on a drug
distribution ring, they focused most of their attention on suburban
Morris County. They had good reason: the county has recorded more than
a dozen overdose fatalities this year.

Of the 54 people arrested in the sweep, about half were either recent
graduates or students of a single school, Whippany Park High School,
in Morris County. Most of the suspects were charged with possession of
oxycodone pills, a prescription painkiller, or with possession with
intent to distribute the pills. The painkiller was described as a
"gateway drug," often leading to heroin use.

According to the police, members of the ring distributed 5,000 pills a
month, mostly to teenagers from Morris County. Officials estimated the
street value of the pills at about $60,000 a month.

The arrests serve as a reminder that drug abuse is hardly confined to
New Jersey's neglected, poverty-stricken cities. The Morris County
prosecutor, Michael Rubbinaccio, said the arrests should be a "wake-up
call to our community." Other officials said that Morris County's
schools have not done enough to educate students about the dangers of
drug abuse.

As it happens, Morris County is home to one of the state's most
effective drug treatment facilities, Daytop New Jersey. Its director,
the Rev. Joseph Hennen, has argued for years that suburban,
middle-class teenagers can be and often are as vulnerable to drug
abuse as their poorer, urban peers.

The arrests and arraignments of the young suspects left parents in
shock, several officials noted. That is entirely understandable. The
question now is whether these parents, and others, will acknowledge
that suburban prosperity is no insurance policy against drug abuse.

There is evidence that the message has hit home. County officials have
scheduled a conference on drug abuse and education at Daytop next
month. Morristown Memorial Hospital will sponsor a program on teenage
drug abuse in October.

Local governments ought to follow up with drug education initiatives
of their own. If they don't, the children of Hanover, Florham Park,
Whippany and other Morris County towns may decide to learn about drugs
on their own. It is not hard to predict where that could lead.