SOMERVILLE IS MAKING PROGRESS IN WAR ON DRUGS

Addiction is the most prevalent disease Somerville faces today.

It's also the only disease where people wait until it gets worse
before they get help, according to speakers at an addictions forum at
the high school on April 30.

Tammy Freitas da Rocha, the new director of Somerville Cares About
Prevention, said that out of 1,003 students surveyed at Somerville
High, she said, the drug of choice is clearly alcohol, and 300
students have abused alcohol in the past 30 days.

About 147 have smoked a cigarette, and 191 have smoked marijuana in
the past 30 days.

"The first issues I dealt with as mayor were OxyContin usage and
suicide. We formed two working groups to deal with them," said Mayor
Joe Curtatone. "We've made some great strides in the last two years,
but we have to continue this vigilance. These issues don't go away and
causes of addiction do not disappear."

Many commended the mayor for his lead against the war on substance
abuse by forming taskforces, organizing public forums and teen
speakouts; surveys and data have been collected. Michael Botticelli,
assistant commissioner for the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services at
the state's public health department, was one of many to applaud the
city for its open approach to dealing with the issue.

"We know that solutions to our work is not what happens at the state
level, but what happens in the communities," Botticelli said. "I
appreciate the work being done in Somerville and hope to hear two
years from now how the death tally is going down."

Noreen Burke of the Health Department said events such as this and
speakouts are very important for policy makers who can hear the
problems firsthand and take these issues to legislators.

"This also destigmatizes stuff about addiction and gets people to
understand what addiction is really about," she said.

Eliza Wheeler, harm reduction services program manager at Cambridge
Cares About AIDS who oversees HIV testing and the needle exchange
programs, manned one of the many booths, and said it was her third
year at the event.

A bunch of high school students attended the event as well, and many
bought the cookies and cakes being sold by Teen Empowerment members to
raise money for the work they do.

"I'm against substance abuse," said Jenna Toro, 17, a member of Teen
Empowerment at Somerville High. "Lots of my friends are associated in
it and it worries me a lot. People are getting addicted, and there
needs to be a change."

Teen Empowerment is a organization that employs youths in social work
and is trying to engage adults and youth in the substance abuse
conversation.

About 80 people attended the speeches and watched an episode from the
HBO series "Addiction."

Headmaster Tony Ciccariello said it's a community forum that gives
administrators much hope.

"It helps the health service providers and the recovery community to
come together, share our successes," he said. "It's truly a community
event. You find people here from every spectrum."