WILLIMANTIC'S CALL TO ACTION

GREATER HARTFORD -- It is a credit to Willimantic that 300 people turned
out for a forum this week to discuss ways to combat the scourge of heroin
in their town. The forum organized by the Hartford-based United Way
followed a five-part series in The Courant that drew attention to a
30-year-old drug problem of unusual size for a community of about 16,000.

Such a large turnout shows a willingness to take a candid look at the
problem and to go beyond measures tried in the past to combat drug abuse,
prostitution and other public health hazards associated with heroin
traffic. Some participants signed up for study circles to develop ideas and
advise the first selectman's task force on possible solutions.

Basic solutions are obvious: Get rid of heroin dealers and help addicts get
treatment. But Willimantic lacks the resources to do it alone.

Although the Courant's heroin series may not be the kind of attention that
officials crave, it already has galvanized people who can help rid the
community of a blight that has hindered its economic renaissance. Gov. John
G. Rowland took advantage of a previously planned visit by John Walters,
President Bush's drug czar, to visit Willimantic with him and to pledge
$100,000 for extra police. This has been criticized as a hollow
pre-election promise, given that the state is facing a projected budget
deficit of nearly $400 million.

Let's give the governor the benefit of the doubt. He is on record as
pledging more state support and Willimantic could use the assistance. Now
is also a good time to call upon him to restore funds for drug treatment
programs that were cut.

Gov. Rowland is right that heroin is not just Willimantic's problem, even
though the city has a higher incidence of heroin use, measured by the
number of heroin-related arrests, than other towns its size. It is simply
wrong for a wealthy state to allow Willimantic to struggle alone against
this scourge.