DEALING WITH DRUG USE:

Red Hook, Shaken By Teen's Heroin-related Death, Tries To Steer Youths Away
From Destructive Behavior

RED HOOK -- When a local 18-year-old died this past summer of a heroin
overdose while at a party, residents were awakened -- or perhaps
reawakened -- to the fact that teenagers in this small town are not
immune to the pull of drugs and that even in a seemingly bucolic,
rural setting like Red Hook, the use of narcotics persists.

In response to that death, and the realization that drugs of all types
are readily available in Red Hook, a group of parents, concerned
citizens, government representatives and law-enforcement officials has
begun working to provide the community's young people with
alternatives to drug use.

Led by Barrytown resident Henry Christopher, the Northern Dutchess
Communities That Care project is exploring educational programs and
community service opportunities as alternative activities to using
drugs. Recently, the organization held a food drive, collecting $600
in cash and hundreds of dollars in food donations that will be given
to an area food bank, Christopher said. The group also is looking at
the possibility of establishing a teen center to give young people a
place to go and engage in constructive recreational pastimes, he said.

"This is just the kind of the thing we want to do to help our kids,"
Christopher said.

CHRISTOPHER, the father of a 16-year-old Red Hook High School student,
said he was shocked to discover the accessibility of drugs in the
community and the ease with which they can be obtained.

"Red Hook has become like a hotbed for drug dealers," he
said.

In the past year, there have been five arrests by village of Red Hook
police for possession of a controlled substance, including three for
possession of heroin, one for possession of crack cocaine and one for
possession of a hallucinogenic.

Additionally, there were 19 marijuana arrests, ranging from the
violation of unlawful possession of marijuana to misdemeanor of
selling marijuana. Marijuana is not considered a controlled substance.

Similar statistics were not available from the state police, but Lt.
James Murphy said drug arrests in Red Hook "were on par with every
previous year."

DUTCHESS County Sheriff's Deputy Janine Arsenault, who works as the
school resource officer for the Red Hook Central School District, said
that while she is hearing increased "talk" about drug use among
students, there is no evidence to back it up.

At the district's request, the Sheriff's Office earlier this year
conducted a sweep of student lockers using the agency's drug dog, but
no illegal drugs were found, Arsenault said.

"The kids are telling me there's a lot here, I'm told kids are selling
it," she said. "I hear a lot about the marijuana smoking, but I can't
tell you whether it's been more this year than last year."

DRUG USE among teenagers is, of course, nothing new, even in Red
Hook.

Over the past decade, parents and community leaders have formed a
number of groups designed to help steer kids from drugs, and as
recently as 2003, the Red Hook school district conducted a survey of
students in grades nine through 12 that showed drug use to be
prevalent, both on and off school property.

And, in what seems to be a reflection of a national trend, heroin use
is again rearing its head in the community.

"We are seeing some heroin arrests and some evidence of heroin use,"
said village Police Chief Jim Truitt.

NEWSPAPERS locally and elsewhere are rife with reports of drug busts
involving heroin, and national statistics indicate the highly
addictive drug's use seems to be on the rise among teenagers and young
adults.

"Heroin has, over the past 10 years, steadily been making inroads back
to popularity, especially among teenagers and college age kids, said
Tom D'Amicantonio, a retired law-enforcement agent and assistant
professor of criminal justice. "It just started to creep back in, and
we're seeing suburban teenagers moving towards heroin. That age group
perhaps doesn't recognize the dangers of it."

CHRISTOPHER said the Red Hook group has modeled itself after the
Communities That Care model provided by the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services.

Its goal is to build community coalitions, partner with schools and
create a center for teenagers in order is to promote positive youth
development.

The Red Hook group meets at 8 p.m. each Friday in the second-floor
conference room at the village police department.