NEEDLE AND THE DAMAGE DONE

The Berkshires, in the words of singer-songwriter Neil Young, have
"seen the needle and the damage done." The heroin plague, as revealed
in Benning W. De La Mater's three-part series, is not just a
Pittsfield problem but a problem for the bucolic Berkshires, one that
is tough to address because the drug is so addictive, the market for
it so substantial, that law enforcement and the medical community are
all but overwhelmed by it.

Popular beliefs to the contrary, heroin is not just the drug of the
down-and-out, as it reaches all levels of the social ladder. It
destroys families, and by doing so undermines communities. It is not
a problem that will go away, but acknowledging it and fighting it are
necessary if the Berkshires are to reach their full potential,
socially, culturally and economically.

There will never be unanimity as to the best method of attacking the
problem. It is simplistic to assert that marijuana is a gateway drug
to heroin as the number of marijuana users who go on to heroin is not
in the same ballpark as those who don't. People who for whatever
reason have addictive personalities are most susceptible to this
powerful drug, and their inability to shake it is not a sign of a
lack of will. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program is a
sacred cow that can't point to clear documentation of its success.
Unless and until it does, it can't be described as a key element in
the fight against heroin.

The importance of treatment is one aspect everyone should agree upon,
and state budget cuts that gut treatment programs will cost
communities far more in the long run than the amount of money saved
on Beacon Hill. A six-to-10-day inpatient stay for graduates of the
McGee Unit of Berkshire Medical Center was lopped from the state
budget four years ago, which means graduates of the unit's detox
program are tossed back into society without an adjustment period.
For those who are homeless, without jobs and plagued with bad
influences, there is a strong likelihood that they will go back to
using a drug that is so pleasurable it is difficult to resist even by
those who know first-hand the high cost of using it.

Throwing money at a problem won't make it go away, but providing
inadequate funding for organizations targeting a problem will assure
it doesn't go away. Tuesday's Eagle identified 10 Berkshire
organizations that are at the front lines of confronting the heroin
curse. They are there to help. And they need state help to provide
that assistance.