PARENTS 4 A CHANGE CONNECTS PARENTS TO STOP DRUG ABUSE

SOUTHINGTON - Living with a drug-abusing child has led a handful of
parents to form a group to raise awareness of what it calls the
"serious, life-threatening drug problem in Southington" and to
pressure officials to help find a solution.

"One of the concerns we have is that many town authorities are aware
of the drug problem, yet they have not come forward to admit it," said
Mary Marcuccio, a member of Parents 4 A Change.

Parents 4 A Change began with one parent, whose child was using
heroin, seeking out others with a similar experience.

In Southington, such parents were not hard to find.

The problem is mirrored in Farmington and some other suburbs across
the state, primarily those that can serve as a stopping point for drug
dealers who pass through. Interstate 84 bisects Southington.

"We want to make Southington an unfriendly environment for drug use
and drug activity," group member Ron Lamoreux said. "We need real
deterrents though real enforcement. The system that is in place right
now is not working."

About 2,200 students attend Southington High School. A recovering drug
addict, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that as a student he
could turn to as many as 1,500 of his peers to get anything from
cocaine to heroin to OxyContin.

"Getting drugs at Southington High is as easy as walking across the
street," he said. "Everyone that starts using OxyContin ... moves on
to heroin."

There are no hard numbers, however, that break down the kinds of drug
abuse in town.

Parents 4 A Change has met with Sgt. Lowell DePalma of the Southington
Police Department and its Drug Task Force. DePalma said the group's
concerns are valid.

"We know there is more use and experimentation in prescription drugs,"
DePalma said. "There is truth when they say people start with
OxyContin and move to harder drugs such as heroin. We are concerned.
. We know there are issues."

While DePalma and the task force are aware of the problem, Marcuccio
believes many in the community have looked the other way.

"We feel that the town, as a whole, has failed to do its job - parents
and authorities alike," she said. "This prevailing attitude of 'There
are no drugs in Southington' has created an environment of ignorance.
This ignorance is killing our children."

Town Council member Mike Riccio believes the town needs to support
more anti-drug programs.

"We would be ignorant to say that there are no drugs in town," he
said. "The town needs to get behind and support any anti-drug
initiative."

In addition to trying to create deterrents, Parents 4 A Change
provides a support system for families dealing with a drug crisis. The
group can be contacted at parentsforachange@hotmail.com. The number
for the Southington Anonymous Drug Tip Hotline is (860) 378-1600, ext.
2800.