HEALEY OFFERS STRATEGY FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE

With substance abuse reaching epidemic proportions in Massachusetts, Lt.
Gov. Kerry Healey recently unveiled a plan to fund additional treatment
services, target methamphetamine sales and called for assistance to
school districts that test students for drugs.

Massachusetts has some of the highest drug and alcohol abuse rates in the
country. The Bay State ranks number one for Oxycontin and heroin use. In
1996, there were 200 opiate-related fatal overdoses, a number that jumped
to 449 statewide in 2003. And among teens admitted for substance abuse
treatment, they were experimenting with the drug at an average age of 13.
There is no single reason behind the rankings, but Healey and other health
officials said a persistent denial of the problem likely fuels its
prevalence. The lieutenant governor shared the administration's plan with
members of the Legislature's new committee on mental health and substance
abuse before discussing it at scheduled press conference recently. "We
cannot afford to wait any longer to take action on these items," Healey
said. The administration's 93-page strategic plan focuses on identifying,
treating and preventing drug use in schools.

It's something which Healey and a bipartisan group of lawmakers joining
her said has long been overlooked. The plan calls for the state to assist
communities with the implementation of drug testing on high school
students and establishes two "sobriety high schools" in Boston
and Springfield, where students recovering from drug addiction could
continue their rehab while finishing their education. States
like Minnesota have run sobriety high schools for more than a decade, said
Sen. Steven Tolman (D-Brighton), co-chairman of the committee.

Tolman, who two weeks ago demanded that the administration set a date for
releasing its long-awaited plan, joined with Healey to support the
proposal. "Anybody who wants to pretend that we don't have a problem with
Oxycontin and heroin belongs on Mars," Tolman said. "It is outrageous.
Most of the children coming out of detox, when they're put back in their
environment, are failing." According to Healey, 90 percent of students who
attend a sobriety school after rehab graduate.

Conversely, 90 percent of those who come out of treatment programs and go
back to their old schools fail, she said. The strategic plan is predicated
on legislative approval of $9.1 million included in a supplemental budget
filed by the administration earlier this year. Healey said the money would
help 6,000 to 8,000 more drug users in need of rehab services, and attract
$14.5 million in federal matching funds. Tolman expects lawmakers to
approve the funds within the next two to three weeks. The state spends
more than $250 million a year on substance abuse treatment programs, with
prevention accounting for just 11 percent of the money. But the state's
existing system of prevention and treatment is haphazard, Healey
said, spread across 13 state agencies that don't communicate with each
other. More than 82,000 Massachusetts residents received drug abuse
treatment services last year. It's estimated another 40,000 sought
treatment but were denied because of a lack of resources, according to a
recent Brandeis University study. As part of the plan, Gov. Mitt Romney
also filed legislation that gives prosecutors new tools to crack down on
methamphetamine. The bill contains a list of chemicals that can be used to
manufacture meth, as it is known, and possession of any one, or combination
of, these chemicals with intent to manufacture or distribute
will constitute a felony offense punishable up to five years in prison and
up to $20,000 in fines.

"I think all of you probably know the devastation that methamphetamine has
been causing in other parts of the country," Healey said. "It has been
marching toward us from the West Coast. It's currently devastating the
Midwest. We can see that it will soon reach our borders."

The plan also includes the creation of an Interagency Council on Substance
Abuse and Prevention to coordinate the state's anti-drug efforts. Healey,
who will chair the council, said members will convene before the end of
the month. Other provisions of the plan include: Implementation of a
overdose tracking system in the state's hospitals to determine how many
people are in need of services; Expanded detox, step-down, transitional,
and residential treatment programs; A statewide education campaign to
educate the public on the risks of Oxycontin and other opioids; Counseling
programs in emergency rooms, community health centers, and other state
agencies; Expanded treatment services for incarcerated individuals.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Corporations of Massachusetts, Inc.
(MHSACM), a statewide organization of more than 100 mental health and
substance abuse service providers, applauded the strategic plan. "Now the
challenge will be to quickly and safely implement the service and
capacity enhancement recommendations so that families waiting for services
get their loved ones into treatment as soon as possible," said Elizabeth
Funk, president and CEO of MHSACM.