GOOD FIRST STEP IN PEABODY

People are starting to listen. As happened in Salem a few weeks earlier,
Peabody parents and teens turned out in droves last week for the second of
a series of major public forums on opiate abuse.

More than 1,000 filled the large auditorium at Peabody High to hear a
series of speakers talk about the ease with which one can become addicted
to substances such as heroin and OxyContin; and the pain that addiction has
brought to users and those who care about them.

Parental involvement was once again highlighted as a key ingredient in the
fight against addiction with Peabody Detective Scott Richards urging those
adults in attendance to "be the boss in your own home." Equally encouraging
were the views voiced by everyone from Mayor Michael Bonfanti to a Beverly
parent about the importance of sustaining the energy that brought all those
people to Salem and Peabody high schools over the past month. Bonfanti, who
chairs the School Committee, and school Superintendent Nadine Binkley hope
to continue the dialogue through programs such as "Courage to Speak," whose
founder, Ginger Katz, spoke to students at the high school and middle
school this week. Parents will have a chance to hear her presentation
tonight (6:30, Peabody High School auditorium.) As Bonfanti notes, these
learning sessions represent nothing more than a good first step. The
toughest part of this effort - convincing kids that drugs are not an
escape, but a route to much more serious problems - is still ahead.