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Recent Newspaper Articles about Drug Abuse Recognition Programs:
Before the dance, a deal
Contracts aid in efforts to reduce substance abuse at schools
By Dan Tuohy, Boston Globe | November 29, 2007
Never mind the new outfits, the new tunes, or the new 'dos. At Belmont High School's next dance,
students who show up to swing, spin, mingle, or mosh must come with something else new this year: a
contract pledging they will not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
"This is, like, our first step in making the school safer," junior Sharon Kelleher, who helped craft the
contract with school officials, said recently. "I think it's the same at every high school."
Indeed, the high school dance, long a teen rite of passage and an occasion for a good time, in recent
years has become as regulated, or at least as closely supervised, as school-day activities. In response
to alcohol- and drug-related incidents, and as part of a larger effort to counter youth substance abuse,
Arlington, Wilmington, Winchester, and Belmont are among a growing number of high schools that
require students to sign so-called dance contracts before they attend such events. In general, the
contracts forbid the student from drinking or taking drugs, and spell out the penalties for breaking the
pact.
If schools do not have a contract in place, the student handbook at many schools clearly spells out the
prohibition and the consequences for being under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Some districts have taken an even tougher stance. Stoneham High School, for example, does not have
a contract, but it began using a breathalyzer test at the door a couple of years ago to deter dancegoers
from drinking before the event, said principal Edward Russo.
The policy in Stoneham, as stated in the student handbook for 2007-08, holds that "breathalyzers may
be administered randomly to students entering dances." Administrators may also use a breathalyzer if
alcohol use is suspected of any student.
"Since we've been using the breathalyzer, we've had very few problems," Russo said. "Our number one
goal is safety."
Charles Skidmore, the principal at Arlington High, said the dance contract at his school was established
about five years ago, before he was hired. It focused on prom season, he said, but applies to all
dances. The student agrees to abide by a zero-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol within the high
school and at all school events on or off school grounds.
Skidmore said the contract is not "a magic bullet" that guarantees a safer night out for students. But he
said it helps promote expectations and student responsibilities.
The contract at Belmont High was modeled after Winchester High's. Belmont principal Michael Harvey
said it was drafted late last year after a couple of alcohol-related incidents involving students. It was
generated by the Student Senate in consultation with administrators.
"We talked about having a contract or not having dances at all," said Kelleher, 16, who is secretary of
her class. "Students were very upset about that prospect."
The contract, which must be cosigned by a parent or guardian, spells out rules and consequences. A
student found by a school administrator to be under the influence may face referral to police,
suspension of up to five days, a 15-day ban from extracurricular activities, a one-year ban from school-
sponsored dances and other social events, and assignment of up to 10 hours of community service.
The two-page pact gives parents and guardians five tips to keep their teen "safe and away from
alcohol," including setting a curfew and asking the student whom they will be with, where they are
going, and what they will be doing. It also comes with statistics on alcohol-related accidents and crimes.
Thomas Gwin, principal in Winchester, said the contract at his high school was drafted nearly five years
ago in response to several cases of students being caught under the influence. It is a partnership
between the school, Winchester police, and the Winchester Substance Abuse Coalition.
"There are probably some parents or students who think it is too strict," Gwin said. "But we found out it
works."
The school did not encounter an incident all last year, and it had only one or two the previous year, he
said.
Dance contracts are typically mailed to the student's home, and the student and parents must sign
before returning the document to school administrators.
Requiring a parent's or guardian's signature is the key to making such contracts work, said Marilyn
Belmonte, cochairwoman of the Burlington Drug and Alcohol Task Force, a coalition of volunteers that
teams up with students, parents, clergy, businesspeople, school administrators, and police to target
alcohol and drug use by young people.
Citing studies of teenagers acting impulsively (because their brains are still developing), Belmonte
said a student may gladly sign a contract during the week and quickly forget about it on a weekend
night when he or she is out with friends.
"Parents are the number one deterrent to reducing alcohol and drug use," she said. "That's what's
going to make a contract work, if it's going to work at all."
Belmonte also encourages young people to avoid impaired drivers. According to Mothers Against
Drunk Driving, 28.5 percent of high school students nationwide have ridden at least once in a car
driven by someone who had been drinking.
David Deiuliis, spokesman for MADD Massachusetts, said his organization likes the idea of a contract as
a way to create a dialogue on drinking and drugs between young people and their parents.
"Whenever those lines of communication are open, that's progress," he said.
He said dance policies and contracts at high schools are becoming more common, though MADD does
not have a tally of schools with such agreements.
Young people are seeing a number of different contracts today. The group Students Against
Destructive Decisions, originally Students Against Driving Drunk, promotes a "contract for life"
designed to foster communication between youths and their parents. The young person pledges to
remain free from alcohol and drugs, to wear seat belts, and to avoid driving under the influence or
riding with an impaired driver.
National statistics on youth drinking show a slight drop from 2004 to 2005, but SADD, which has an office
in Marlborough, reports that three out of four students have consumed alcohol by the end of high
school. In 2005, about 10.8 million people between 12 and 20 reported drinking in the past month,
according to federal data.
The 2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 13 percent of high school students
reported drinking on 10 or more days in the month before the survey was taken.
In many school districts, comprehensive policies for school dances and alcohol use have followed new
standards on everything from crisis intervention to hazing.
Michael Gilbert, field director for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, which provides
guidance to districts, said schools are taking steps to review and update policies to keep students
safe. He said the dance issue usually comes up during prom season, and usually on a case-by-case
basis for schools that have encountered an alcohol-related incident.
At Belmont High, Harvey said, administrators produced a form of the contract to cover the prom season
last year, and the success of that inspired the administration and student leaders to consider a more
formal and permanent
contract.
"It helps raise awareness, if nothing else," Harvey said. And, he said, students get it.
Students know to pick up the contract at the main office, said Carolyn Bunyon, one of the school's
administrative secretaries.
"Parents are supportive," she said. "It's more of a way to inform the parents and to get them involved."
As with the policy in Winchester, students cannot buy a ticket to the dance without first having a
completed contract.
The Winchester policy, spelled out in the 2007-08 student handbook, outlines expectations for students
- from school attendance the day of a dance to the requirement that everyone moves through a
greeting line. A student suspected of being under the influence is inspected and may be referred to a
police officer and, if deemed necessary, may be taken to the police station for protective custody.
In Belmont, Kelleher said, the student government will review the new policy as the school year
progresses and update it as necessary.
The half-dozen or so dances per year in Belmont - a seniors dance postponed the week of Halloween
was tentatively rescheduled for this Saturday, and there is an all-school dance Dec. 14 - attract a couple
hundred students each and have typically been problem-free, save for the occasional student caught
drinking or using illegal drugs.
"Once in a while, stuff like this pops up," said Kelleher. "We need to do something about it."
National Chain Stores to Limit Youth Access to Cough Medicine
Burlington Union May 31, 2007
Daily Times Chronicle May 30, 2007
By Marilyn Belmonte
Co-Chairperson, Burlington Drug & Alcohol Task Force
Good news for parents who are concerned about the potential for cough medicine abuse. National
chain stores are just starting to require an ID to purchase medications containing dextromethorphan,
the most common cough suppressant on the market. CVS, Target and Walgreen's and Stop & Shop
have released a memo to their stores effective this month to begin restricting the sale of
dextromethorphan products to people 18 years of age or older.
According to Boston University School of Public Health, large chain stores are beginning a voluntary
age restriction on the sale of cough medicines containing dextromethorphan. Dextromethorphan, also
called DXM, is a common ingredient in cough and cold syrups, lozenges, and pills. Products containing
DXM include Robitussin Maximum Strength Cough Suppressant, Sucrets 8 Hour Cough Suppressant,
and Vicks 44 Cough Relief, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Abuse of DXM has become popular among young teens and is not restricted only to cough syrup. Any
product containing DXM can be abused. Parents need to check the medications in their medicine
cabinets to ascertain whether they have DXM in the house. Code terms for this abuse are "dex,
dexing, robo, robotripping, skittles, triple-C, C-C-C".
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration issued a warning in 2005 after five teenagers died in cases that
may have been associated "with the consumption of powered DXM," according to the agency.
"Although DXM, when formulated properly and used in small amounts, can be safely used in cough
suppressant medicines, abuse of the drug can cause death as well as other serious adverse events
such as brain damage, seizure, loss of consciousness, and irregular heart beat." The entire warning
can be found at http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2005/ANS01360.html.
"It isn't someone taking a few more tablespoons or a couple more pills - it's 25 to 50 times the
recommended dose," said Elizabeth Funderburk, communications director for the Consumer
Healthcare Products Association, the trade association for over-the-counter drug manufacturers.
The latest "Monitoring the Future" survey, released by the University of Michigan last December 2006,
reported that 4 percent of 8th-graders, 5 percent of 10th-graders, and 7 percent of 12th-graders said
they used cough or cold medicines to get high. According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN),
an agency that monitors drug incidents at hospital emergency rooms, the 2004 rate of DXM-related
visits for people aged 12 to 20 was nearly twice as often as with any other age group.
Several states have considered legislation that would limit DXM sales to adults, but none have passed,
according to Kevin Nicholson, vice president for pharmacy regulatory affairs for the National
Association of Chain Drug Stores.
Physical signs of abuse of DXM are hallucinations, panic attacks, racing heart, rigid muscle tone,
drowsiness, dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, headaches, rashes, itchy skin, numb
extremities, seizures and coma. If you suspect your child has taken too much dextromethorphan,
please call 911 immediately. If you are concerned that your child has abused DXM in the past, contact
your pediatrician for a CRAFFT assessment.
Communities such as Burlington have implemented liquor compliance testing to enforce the legal
drinking age and reduce youth access to alcohol. There are many laws that limit access of alcohol,
tobacco products and even some cold medicines to young people. It is an exciting development to see
national corporations take a voluntary stand to help reduce substance abuse in our children without
waiting for a law to pass. For more information, please contact the task force at
Marilyn@DrugAbuseRecognition.com or 781-572-1478.
Addict's story touches a nerve at city drug education forum
by Adam Swift, Peabody Weekly News, April 5, 2007 (See photo on "Photo Album" page)
PEABODY – During a public participation forum addressing the issue of drug abuse by young people,
Mayor Michael Bonfanti characterized the problem as “posing as great a risk to society as the threat
posed by terrorists.”
Last week’s panel, the conclusion of the five-week Citizen’s Drug Recognition Academy sponsored by
the city, gave citizens the opportunity to question representatives from the police department, sheriff’s
department, the district attorney’s office, and the state health department about drug issues.
For many in attendance, however, the most effective speaker of the night was an unscheduled one.
Peter, a young heroin addict who attended the forum with his parents and who had just left a detox
facility the previous day, spoke about his struggles both with addiction and trying to recover.
“I live in Peabody and I’ve been battling opiate addiction for the past four years,” said Peter, who did
not want to give his last name. “I got into OxyContin and that lead to heroin use.”
Peter said he had just spent time in a detox center in Westborough, but he said he had to leave that
facility when his health insurance would no longer cover it.
“It wasn’t a bad facility, everyone there was nice, but I noticed that all of the staff there is overworked,”
he said. “We’re drug addicts and we need instant gratification.”
Peter said the counselor who worked with him did everything she could to get him into a bed at a
halfway house, but he said, there was a minimum three-week wait to get a bed anywhere in the area.
“The day before I left, there were 14 people discharged and only three places (in halfway houses)
available,” Peter said. “The rest had to go back out onto the streets.”
“Six days in rehabilitation is just not enough. I’m still sitting here shaking,” he said.
Peter called the opiate problem in the region an epidemic and said that he knows eight people who
overdosed and died.
“All of this stuff is everywhere,” said Peter. “I remember walking into a house party one night and
seeing a pile of 400 (OxyContin tablets) on the table, and they weren’t robbed from a pharmacy.”
“I don’t blame anyone else but me for my addiction, but when I went for help, I had to get kicked out of
the detox center and go home,” Peter said. “Even though I want it more than anything (to get better), I
got kicked to the curb.”
Department of Public Health Assistant Commissioner Michael Botticelli commended Peter for his
honesty and courage in speaking at the forum and noted that the public health department is constantly
looking for more funding to add more detox and rehabilitation beds in the state.
Botticelli also said that there are scores of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotic Anonymous meetings
that addicts can attend while waiting for spaces in state facilities to open up.
“The other issue that I feel very strongly about is that when you look at private insurance companies,
they pay very little for substance abuse,” said Botticelli. He said addicts have to rely mainly on state
resources.
“If you had cancer, (the insurance companies) would not say you were done in six days and not get you
any more services,” Botticelli said. “I think it’s reprehensible that the insurance companies do not pay
for further treatments.”
After the forum, Bonfanti said, Cousins was able to help Peter and find him a bed in a rehab facility.
Many of the panelists who spoke during the forum expressed the need for parents to become more
educated about the signs of drug use and culture.
“All of us, parents, educators, and government, need to work together to combat this killer of our kids,”
Bonfanti said.
The mayor said there are no easy answers to the problem, but said that education and awareness are
key components of the struggle.
“Parents need to take a more active role and need to spend more time with this problem and spend
less time focusing on minor issues like parking fees and the football coach,” Bonfanti said.
Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins said his department deals with the rehabilitation and treatment of
drug addicts as well as the punishment of criminals.
“The number one thing we need to do is bring the awareness and education piece forward,” Cousins
said. “People need to understand the evils of what happens with drug abuse and alcohol abuse.”
While illegal drugs are always an issue, Cousins said, there has been an alarming increase in the
number of young people abusing prescription drugs.
Tom Donovan, special counsel to Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, agreed that there
has been a dramatic use in the abuse of prescription drugs over the past few years. He said 65 percent
of all prescription drugs that are abused come from household prescriptions.
“Kids think the prescription drugs are safer than other drugs,” said Donovan. “This is not unique to
Peabody or Lynn, it’s everywhere.”
Police Captain Gerald Bellew, a 37-year veteran of the police force, said it’s not possible for the city
and the region to arrest its way out of the drug problem.
“I firmly believe on the awareness situation that many people choose to keep their heads in the sand
and ignore the problem,” Bellew said. “Parents, unfortunately, have to be very suspicious of their
children. They have to open their drawers and look into their pockets for their own good.”
Parents have to pay attention to who their children are hanging around with and even pay attention to
how they dress, Bellew said.
“If your kids come home late, you have to take them to task,” Bellew said. “If anything is out of the
ordinary, you have to address it before it comes to something bad.”
Superintendent of Schools Milton Burnett said battling drug abuse boils down to helping young people
make good choices.
“If students show self respect and respect to others, and if there is a good school climate, the
academics will really take off,” said Burnett.
Last week’s public forum on drug issues was part of the Citizens Drug Recognition Academy organized
by Marilyn Belmonte of Burlington.
Topics discussed during the Citizens Drug Recognition Academy included plant based and traditional
drugs, prescription and over the counter drugs, club drugs, drug-facilitated sexual assaults, and
breaking barriers of communication when talking to your kids about drugs. The presentations included
multi-media programs, video clips of real kids talking about their drug experiences, and hands-on
paraphernalia.
“Our mission is to get this information to the parents,” said Belmonte. “ A lot of parents feel frustrated
that they don’t know where they can send their children so they can socialize with friends and also feel
like they are safe.”
Drug class seeks prevention
By Bella Travaglini, Danvers Herald
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Police last week did not mince words during a graphic seminar on the signs of drug abuse in kids.
“We can’t arrest our way out of this situation,” Chief Neil Ouellette said during the first session of
Citizens’ Drug Recognition Academy. “Sometimes kids overdose and die on the first or second time
they do drugs.”
Ouellette acknowledged that police are sometimes powerless in preventing kids from doing drugs; he
put the onus on parents. The school and police departments can assist parents in helping through
programs like D.A.R.E., but the ultimate responsibility lies with parents in keeping a diligent watchful
eye, said Sgt. Robert Bettencourt, who oversees the D.A.R.E. program.
“We have the kids; now we need you,” Bettencourt told parents.
Police, together with the School Department and the Community that Cares, are sponsoring a five-week
program for parents in response to drug abuse of epic proportions in the state and alarming results
produced by a survey last year given to middle and high school students.
About 65 parents packed into the Danvers High School library on Thursday, March 15 for a no holds
barred presentation on how to detect drug use in kids. This session, which focused on plant-based
drug use, is the first in a series of five scheduled over the next several weeks facilitated by Marilyn
Belmonte, an expert in substance abuse.
Parents were riveted by the alarming statistics Belmonte delivered on drug use in Massachusetts
among teens and graphic video accounts of kids shooting up heroin.
The latest numbers for drug use in the Boston area have heroin and OxyContin use ranked high on the
spectrum with crystal meth and Ecstasy use on the rise in clubs, Belmonte said. However, as fast as
one drug rises to the top of popularity, another claims the spot.
“Drugs go out of style as quickly as painted toe nails,” Belmonte said. “When one drug wanes another
takes its place.”
The drugs kids choose have a lot to do with what they think is “in style,” Belmonte said. So, it follows
that for adolescent girls who may be weight conscious the drug of choice for now in this area is
cocaine.
“Girls are using cocaine as a diet drug,” Belmonte said.
And, for the first time in history, drug and alcohol use among girls nationwide is higher than that among
boys, according to statistics compiled by an arm of the White House, Belmonte said.
The potency of drugs today make them particularly deadly, and kids need to step up quantities they take
to achieve the same high, Belmonte said, which in turn ups the ante for an overdose. The low cost for
hardcore drugs, such as heroin, makes obtaining it even more attainable for kids, which could be
contributing to the high numbers of kids abusing this and other drugs like it.
And, there’s always one telltale sign parents should be looking for.
“The eyes are the window to the soul,” Belmonte said. “Drugs do things to the eyes that the brain is
incapable of doing on its own.”
Parents shouldn’t underestimate the enormous influence they have over their kids, Belmonte said, and
they should use that influence to help decrease the chances of their kids using drugs.
“You should look them in the eye and just tell them – I don’t want you to smoke pot! I don’t want you to
drink!” Belmonte said. “Your kids don’t want to disappoint you. They don’t want you to lose respect for
them. Just telling them can be a huge influence.”
With the plethora of information available on the Internet, kids are able to visit Web sites to gather
information on what the latest drug trend is and the fastest way to achieve a high. In striking contrast,
those same sites offer kids advice on how to save their own lives in case of an overdose.
“These sites tell kids to be sure to tell their friends what drugs they’re on,” Belmonte said. “This way,
their friends can tell the EMTs what they took when they OD.”
No one can say for sure why drug abuse on the North Shore has risen to epidemic proportions,
crossing social and economic barriers, experts say. Drug use, however, can be traced back to ancient
Babylon and Greece and to ancient Egypt, too, where traces of opiates have been found in Egyptian
mummies.
“Invaders in China during the 18th century promoted drug addiction in order to take over the country,”
Belmonte said. “They wanted to get everyone high so they were rendered powerless.”
Drug use may be embedded in our culture, Belmonte said, and parents must take control over their
own children.
“Kids who are going to abuse drugs need you to be ignorant,” Belmonte said. “Ignorance is bliss and
they’re counting on that. This program may be a little scary, but education is power. You as parents will
be empowered upon completion of this program.”
The Citizens’ Drug Recognition Academy is running for four more weeks every Thursday from 7 p.m. to
9 p.m. in the second floor library of Danvers High School. It is free for adults living or working in
Danvers. It’s not too late to register for the remaining sessions. Contact Sgt. Robert Bettencourt at 978-
774-1213, ext. 134, or email him at rbettencourt@mail.danvers-ma.org.
Citizens Drug Recognition Academy
March 22: Prescription Drugs and Over-the-counter Drugs
March 29: Club Drugs
April 5: Drug-facilitated Sexual Assaults/Talking to your Kids about Drugs
April 12: Q & A with School Department and Police Department
Gateway Drugs Education Night for Parents Planned for March 7
Burlington Union, February 15, 2007
The National Youth Anti-drug Media Campaign is urging parents to sharpen their
conversation skills in response to a new survey that focuses on trends in parent-teen interaction. A
poll conducted by the organization shows that most parents have difficulty talking to their teens about
tough subjects such as drug use. When they do talk to their kids, they typically lack the confidence,
education about drugs and communication skills to do so effectively.
This has prompted the Burlington Drug and Alcohol Task Force and Burlington PTO Association to offer
an education night for parents. The adult program entitled, "Gateway Drugs: Our Children on the Road
to Trouble" will be held on Wednesday March 7, 2007 in the Marshall Simonds Middle School Auditorium
from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. The presentation is especially designed for parents of children in elementary
school and middle school. Door prizes will be awarded.
The survey studied the kinds of conversations parents have with teens and whether they feel
comfortable and confident talking to them. When it comes to tough topics like
drug use, most parents (52%) admit to having difficulty with those conversations.
Even more troubling is that while nearly half of parents (48%) know their teens are exposed to drugs,
that awareness is not motivating them to action.
Research confirms the importance of parents talking to their children early about smoking cigarettes
and drinking alcohol. Children who start drinking and smoking in adolescence have a greater risk of
becoming addicted to cigarettes, have alcohol related issues as adults and abuse other drugs.
The gateway drug program in March helps parents to sharpen their communication skills in parent-teen
interactions. It will give parents the education to discuss drugs with confidence. The evening program
also will include a panel discussion with members of the Burlington Police Department and Burlington
Schools.
"The Task Force wants to reach out to parents of younger children this year to stress the importance of
talking to our kids about smoking and alcohol," said Marilyn Belmonte, co-chair of the Burlington Drug
and Alcohol Task Force. "We know now that teens become addicted to drugs, including tobacco and
alcohol, faster than adults. New studies on brain development help us understand that prevention of
underage drinking and smoking will greatly reduce addiction risks."
City kicks off sobering series of drug talks
By Stacie N. Galang, Salem News, January 18, 2007
PEABODY - Be afraid.
Because if Marilyn Belmonte is right, the war on drugs is far from over.
At last night's city-sponsored Citizens Drug Recognition Academy, Belmonte gave a two-hour
presentation chock full of statistics about the drug world, up-to-the-minute research on its effects and
dozens of examples of drug paraphernalia.
If that weren't enough, she also shared unsettling pictures of users riddled by needle marks and video
of them shooting up. The images left more than a few in the audience shifting in their seats.
Last night's session was the first of five designed to empower parents and tune them into today's
market for drugs.
"My idea is you're going to catch it," Belmonte told the nearly 60 parents gathered at the Higgins Middle
School auditorium. "You're going to be empowered on the first night."
The speaker gave a 50-slide presentation on plant-based and traditional drugs. She talked about local
trends, especially the use of opiates and stimulants.
Belmonte also previewed the horrors of methamphetamine, which hasn't taken root locally. The drug
has a "choke hold" on the rest of the country, has only a 6 percent rate of rehabilitation and no medical
means of deterring addiction, she said.
"I want your eyes open and ready for the next thing coming," Belmonte said.
Amid the dire stories of abuse and overdose, she offered pearls of hope. Belmonte told the audience
that numerous surveys indicated that kids who never experimented with drugs offered one reason:
their parents. She said the key to keeping children away from drugs was the fear of losing their parents
love and respect.
"I want them scared," Belmonte said. "You're going to let them know that you're not clueless and you
don't want them doing drugs."
Mayor Michael Bonfanti told parents that drugs posed a greater risk to children today than terrorism.
He said he was shocked to know parents and children did not know the insidious nature of drugs.
"You are the front lines," he told them. "You are the first line of defense. Parents need to step up."
The Wednesday night classes will continue each week through Feb. 14.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Legal drug misuse under parents’ noses; Tantasqua to clue adults
in on problem
By Craig S. Semon TELEGRAM & GAZETTE (Abridged)
STURBRIDGE— The drugs are changing, and it’s hard to keep up, especially when it comes to the drug
of choice for today’s adolescents and teenagers.
With the days of back alley drug deals taking a back seat to the family’s medicine cabinet and over-the-
counter drugs, Michelle S. Breuer, health educator at Tantasqua Regional High School, hopes to
empower parents with the tools to recognize whether their child has a drug problem.
Ms. Breuer, working in partnership with Assistant Superintendent Katie Fitzgerald, has scheduled
“Trendy Drug Recognition for Parents: OCs and OTCs” at 7 p.m. Jan. 18 in the auditorium at Tantasqua
Regional High School. (“OCs” and “OTCs” refer to OxyContin and over-the-counter drugs, respectively.)
Marilyn Grifoni Belmonte, program director of the Drug Abuse Recognition Programs at the Middlesex
County sheriff’s office and co-chairperson of the Burlington Drug and Alcohol Task Force, will be the
keynote speaker. The free program is open only to parents and adult guardians. Organizers ask that
anyone planning to attend to send a confirmation e-mail to rsvp@tantasqua.org by Tuesday.
“If the parents have it in their medicine cabinet, the kids have it, and that’s where some of the
problems come in,” Ms. Breuer said. “You got kids who have the availability of OxyContin, oftentimes
because their parents have chronic pain issues, and so they have the ability to have access to that.
And then you also have more of recognition of the over-the-counter medications that kids are
misusing.”
While alcohol and marijuana are still the most popular abused drugs with teens, Ms. Breuer said, a very
small segment does experiment with their parents’ pain pills. She said the “pill thing” is newer and
appeals to people who don’t want to be associated with the image of the drug “burnout.”
Ms. Breuer suggests parents keep talking with their children and make sure the children know that
they care about them and are doing this in the best interest of child. Parents should also try to stay
neutral, not judgmental, and try to give their children the tools and the skills that they need to say no to
drugs and not to give in to peer pressure, she said.
Family conflict a source of teen stress
Tewksbury survey results released (abridged)
By Joyce Pellino Crane, Globe Correspondent | December 3, 2006
Drugs aren't necessarily a big problem among Tewksbury's teenagers, but mean-spirited fighting at
home might be.
Those are just two results of a Youth At Risk survey completed last month and released last week by
Tewksbury Community Advocates for Resources, or Tewksbury Cares.
The survey marks the first tangible result of the group, which grew out of the Board of Health in the
summer last year to raise awareness about substance abuse. Though it has taken a while to reach this
first milestone, its members say, they are steadily moving toward making a difference in the lives of the
town's teenagers.
Nearly 1,700 students in grades 7 through 12 responded to this fall's survey questions, designed to
gauge attitudes and behavior on drug and alcohol use. Questions included whether respondents had
experienced family conflict, attended religious services, found opportunity for involvement in the town
and at school, felt connected to their families, had goals, and followed rules. The responses were
compared with the results of a 2005 National Institutes of Health survey of eighth-, 10th-, and 12th-
graders.
The responses showed their use of illegal substances on a lifetime basis were comparable to or lower
than the national results, except for 12th-graders' use of the "designer drug," ecstasy. In Tewksbury, 8
percent of high school seniors said they used the drug sometime in their life, compared with 5.4
percent nationally. In Tewksbury, 52 percent of respondents said they have used alcohol in their
lifetime, and 23 percent have used marijuana, as well as cigarettes. Twelve percent have taken
inhalants, and the same percentage ingested smokeless tobacco. Less than 1 percent has used heroin,
2 percent cocaine, and 3 percent psychedelic drugs. Methamphetamine, a drug widely used in the West
and Midwest, registered at less than 1 percent in Tewksbury.
Tami Gouveia-Vigeant, community health specialist for the Northeast Center for Communities, one of six
state-funded centers that support community-based substance-abuse coalitions, said teenagers' high
use of alcohol and marijuana raises red flags because it can lead to abuse of other substances.
Gouveia-Vigeant helped Tewksbury Cares acquire funding for its survey and is assisting
Billerica's substance abuse committee with its efforts to raise awareness.
She added that Tewksbury Cares will hold a series of weekly workshops for parents from Jan. 29 to
March 5. Led by Marilyn Belmonte, a certified trainer for drug recognition and co chair of the Burlington
Drug and Alcohol Task Force, the program will cover the different classes of drugs, and explain how
drugs are used in sexual assaults. It will end with a panel discussion among community leaders.
"My program is designed to help parents recognize when your kids are on drugs," said Belmonte.
"They can hide their drugs, but they can't hide their eyes. They can't hide their behavior. If you know
what to look for, you're going to see it."
Cynthia Kaplan, a child psychologist and the administrative director of the Child and Adolescent
Program at McLean Hospital in Belmont, sees the deception when teenagers come for treatment.
Despite the survey's results, Kaplan said, use of club drugs, ecstasy, and heroin is on the rise, while
marijuana and alcohol use have stayed constant over the past few years.
"Kids, even when answering with anonymity, are underreporting their use," she said. "Kids don't trust
the concept of anonymity from adults."
The stress can lead to substance abuse as a coping mechanism. "Some kids drink through experiment,
some kids drink to hold something at a party," she said. "Some kids drink to cope. . . . Once something
is a coping strategy . . . it becomes more than something to go along, to get along."
But Cynthia Kinnon is heartened by the number of Tewksbury teenagers who said they found many
opportunities to be involved and connected to the town.
She said she wants to draw on the community's strengths to keep young people safe from substance
abuse.
"Tewksbury is a kids' community," she said.
"There are so many parents doing so much for the kids of Tewksbury. If we can make them aware of just
little things, that will make a difference. It will give them some insight."
Wakefield officers hold drug identification program
November 2, 2006
Boston Globe
John Laidler
WAKEFIELD -- The Police Department last week completed its second Citizens Drug Recognition
Academy.
Paid for with the town's community policing funds, the academy is a program for adult residents that
teaches them how to identify illegal and over-the-counter drugs commonly used by young people, the
dangers of those drugs, and what to look for to determine whether a child might be taking them.
Taught by drug recognition expert Marilyn Belmonte of the Burlington Drug Task Force and coordinated
by Wakefield Officer David Morales, the most recent academy met once a week for six weeks, with 21
residents participating, at the Wakefield Police Station.
The first four weeks offered classes and the fifth week featured a panel discussion with community
leaders.
The final week featured a demonstration with the department dog trained in drug detection, and a
graduation ceremony, according to Police Chief Rick Smith.
An initial academy last spring attracted 42 participants. Smith said he plans a third academy early next
year.
Seminar informing parents on adolescent drug abuse
By Patrick Blais
October 18th, 2006
The Stoneham Independent
STONEHAM, MA - Almost every kid jumps at the sight of candy.
But does this centuries old love of sweets correlate to over-the-counter and prescription drug abuse
amongst youngsters and adolescents?
One expert argued just that last Wednesday at the high school auditorium during a parent education
forum on drug-use.
According to Marilyn Belmonte, a regionally renowned expert on regional drug-abuse trends and a
regular participant in police, paramedic, and teacher seminars on the topic, drug manufacturers have
saturated the market with over-the-counter medications that taste and even share the appearance of
candy.
Belmonte, who is facilitating a multi-layered Citizen's Drug Recognition Academy for parents at the
Stoneham High School, referred last Wednesday to a table-load of such sweet, fruity-flavored, non-
prescription drugs during the seminar, singling out some common cold and allergy syrups and tablets
that were actually shaped and packaged in common candy favorites like gummy-bears and pixie sticks.
And while the Co-Chair of the Burlington Drug and Alcohol Task Force admitted that these good tasting
remedies have made it easier for fussy children to "take their medicine", she insisted that the
manufacturers had created an unintended consequence: An increased likelihood that kids would
misuse the over-the-counter drugs.
The problem, Belmonte argued, is that children and adolescents see no danger in the substances, not
only because they taste so good, but also largely because of a fundamental misunderstanding about
dosage, or the amount of non-prescription medication that is safe to consume at one time.
"Medicine looks and tastes so much like candy that kids are treating it like candy," the lecturer said.
"Do you think my mom ever had to say, 'now, I don't want you taking that Castor Oil by itself, it's not
candy you know?'"
"[Kids] don't understand about dosage. They think they can take three, four, five pills and that it's safe.
We need to take the time to make sure our kids understand what safe means. Sure, you can buy it at
CVS, but that doesn't mean you can take the whole box."
According to Belmonte, while it may seem somewhat ridiculous to assume that adolescents abuse over-
the-counter drugs for a high, she referred to many indications that such a practice was becoming more
and more commonplace. (The Stoneham Independent, at the reasonable and understanding request of
the lecturer, agreed not to print which specific remedies were popular to abuse, nor the manner in
which they could be, so as not to encourage such use by providing a how-to manual).
By fundamentally misunderstanding just how dangerous over-the-counter drugs can be in large
quantities, many adolescents share a similar view of prescription medications as "safe", the Wheaton
College graduate furthered.
In fact, such attitudes have become so prevalent, according to recent studies, that nearly 40 percent of
adolescents view such drugs as safe, an estimated 30 percent of teens believe such substances are
non-addicting, and one-in-five teens abuse prescription medications.
"To put that into perspective, that means more teens are abusing prescription drugs than the
combined use of cocaine, heroin, PCP, ecstasy...we can go on and on and on," Belmonte explained.
"They'll tell you, 'I'm not stupid. I'm not using cocaine, I'm using prescription drugs. If it's safe enough
for a doctor to prescribe to grandma, then [it's safe enough for me].'"
While such teens might start taking prescription medication, the costs of maintaining such a habit,
especially once a tolerance for the drug is built-up, becomes far too high to maintain.
And so the new drug-addicted adolescents are forced to turn to the taboo "hard-drug" substances they
had perhaps shunned in the past. According to Belmonte, for those abusing pain-killers, especially
Oxycontin, that new drug of choice too often becomes heroin.
"For a dollar a milligram, we're talking about $80 a pill. And kids have that money," the drug expert said.
"But what happens when you need a pill every day, or every three to five hours? Who can afford that?
And that's when they go to heroin, because it's so dirt cheap. That's the connection."
According to Belmonte, parents can take steps to ensure that such a problem never occurs with their
child. First and foremost, she argued, parents need to stop hoarding or storing prescription drugs that
they no longer need, as teens often discover the forgotten substances and end-up either abusing
them or selling them in school.
Parents can also start familiarizing themselves with what she termed the physical "cues" of drug-abuse.
The most common indicator, one that all people will display, surrounds the appearance of the eye.
For example, for narcotic medications [common pain-killers], the pupils will become pin-pointed, fixed
and non-responsive to light, and be covered by drooped eyelids. For those "coming down" from
narcotic-based prescription drugs as the medication wears off, the pupils will expand and contract
wildly.
Other indicators of narcotic-based drugs include constant scratching of the face and arms, a sedated
or sleepy appearance, cool and clammy skin, and a "dreamy" or almost drunk-like manner of walking
and talking.
The opposite will occur for stimulant-based drugs, such as those commonly prescribed for Attention
Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) in that the pupils will dilate,
sweating instead of having clammy skin will occur, and hyperactivity or tremoring/shaking rather than
appearing sluggish.
Recent Newspaper Articles about Drug Abuse Recognition Programs:
Before the dance, a deal
Contracts aid in efforts to reduce substance abuse at schools
By Dan Tuohy, Boston Globe | November 29, 2007
Never mind the new outfits, the new tunes, or the new 'dos. At Belmont High School's next dance,
students who show up to swing, spin, mingle, or mosh must come with something else new this year: a
contract pledging they will not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
"This is, like, our first step in making the school safer," junior Sharon Kelleher, who helped craft the
contract with school officials, said recently. "I think it's the same at every high school."
Indeed, the high school dance, long a teen rite of passage and an occasion for a good time, in recent
years has become as regulated, or at least as closely supervised, as school-day activities. In response
to alcohol- and drug-related incidents, and as part of a larger effort to counter youth substance abuse,
Arlington, Wilmington, Winchester, and Belmont are among a growing number of high schools that
require students to sign so-called dance contracts before they attend such events. In general, the
contracts forbid the student from drinking or taking drugs, and spell out the penalties for breaking the
pact.
If schools do not have a contract in place, the student handbook at many schools clearly spells out the
prohibition and the consequences for being under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Some districts have taken an even tougher stance. Stoneham High School, for example, does not have
a contract, but it began using a breathalyzer test at the door a couple of years ago to deter dancegoers
from drinking before the event, said principal Edward Russo.
The policy in Stoneham, as stated in the student handbook for 2007-08, holds that "breathalyzers may
be administered randomly to students entering dances." Administrators may also use a breathalyzer if
alcohol use is suspected of any student.
"Since we've been using the breathalyzer, we've had very few problems," Russo said. "Our number one
goal is safety."
Charles Skidmore, the principal at Arlington High, said the dance contract at his school was established
about five years ago, before he was hired. It focused on prom season, he said, but applies to all
dances. The student agrees to abide by a zero-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol within the high
school and at all school events on or off school grounds.
Skidmore said the contract is not "a magic bullet" that guarantees a safer night out for students. But he
said it helps promote expectations and student responsibilities.
The contract at Belmont High was modeled after Winchester High's. Belmont principal Michael Harvey
said it was drafted late last year after a couple of alcohol-related incidents involving students. It was
generated by the Student Senate in consultation with administrators.
"We talked about having a contract or not having dances at all," said Kelleher, 16, who is secretary of
her class. "Students were very upset about that prospect."
The contract, which must be cosigned by a parent or guardian, spells out rules and consequences. A
student found by a school administrator to be under the influence may face referral to police,
suspension of up to five days, a 15-day ban from extracurricular activities, a one-year ban from school-
sponsored dances and other social events, and assignment of up to 10 hours of community service.
The two-page pact gives parents and guardians five tips to keep their teen "safe and away from
alcohol," including setting a curfew and asking the student whom they will be with, where they are
going, and what they will be doing. It also comes with statistics on alcohol-related accidents and crimes.
Thomas Gwin, principal in Winchester, said the contract at his high school was drafted nearly five years
ago in response to several cases of students being caught under the influence. It is a partnership
between the school, Winchester police, and the Winchester Substance Abuse Coalition.
"There are probably some parents or students who think it is too strict," Gwin said. "But we found out it
works."
The school did not encounter an incident all last year, and it had only one or two the previous year, he
said.
Dance contracts are typically mailed to the student's home, and the student and parents must sign
before returning the document to school administrators.
Requiring a parent's or guardian's signature is the key to making such contracts work, said Marilyn
Belmonte, cochairwoman of the Burlington Drug and Alcohol Task Force, a coalition of volunteers that
teams up with students, parents, clergy, businesspeople, school administrators, and police to target
alcohol and drug use by young people.
Citing studies of teenagers acting impulsively (because their brains are still developing), Belmonte
said a student may gladly sign a contract during the week and quickly forget about it on a weekend
night when he or she is out with friends.
"Parents are the number one deterrent to reducing alcohol and drug use," she said. "That's what's
going to make a contract work, if it's going to work at all."
Belmonte also encourages young people to avoid impaired drivers. According to Mothers Against
Drunk Driving, 28.5 percent of high school students nationwide have ridden at least once in a car
driven by someone who had been drinking.
David Deiuliis, spokesman for MADD Massachusetts, said his organization likes the idea of a contract as
a way to create a dialogue on drinking and drugs between young people and their parents.
"Whenever those lines of communication are open, that's progress," he said.
He said dance policies and contracts at high schools are becoming more common, though MADD does
not have a tally of schools with such agreements.
Young people are seeing a number of different contracts today. The group Students Against
Destructive Decisions, originally Students Against Driving Drunk, promotes a "contract for life"
designed to foster communication between youths and their parents. The young person pledges to
remain free from alcohol and drugs, to wear seat belts, and to avoid driving under the influence or
riding with an impaired driver.
National statistics on youth drinking show a slight drop from 2004 to 2005, but SADD, which has an office
in Marlborough, reports that three out of four students have consumed alcohol by the end of high
school. In 2005, about 10.8 million people between 12 and 20 reported drinking in the past month,
according to federal data.
The 2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 13 percent of high school students
reported drinking on 10 or more days in the month before the survey was taken.
In many school districts, comprehensive policies for school dances and alcohol use have followed new
standards on everything from crisis intervention to hazing.
Michael Gilbert, field director for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, which provides
guidance to districts, said schools are taking steps to review and update policies to keep students
safe. He said the dance issue usually comes up during prom season, and usually on a case-by-case
basis for schools that have encountered an alcohol-related incident.
At Belmont High, Harvey said, administrators produced a form of the contract to cover the prom season
last year, and the success of that inspired the administration and student leaders to consider a more
formal and permanent
contract.
"It helps raise awareness, if nothing else," Harvey said. And, he said, students get it.
Students know to pick up the contract at the main office, said Carolyn Bunyon, one of the school's
administrative secretaries.
"Parents are supportive," she said. "It's more of a way to inform the parents and to get them involved."
As with the policy in Winchester, students cannot buy a ticket to the dance without first having a
completed contract.
The Winchester policy, spelled out in the 2007-08 student handbook, outlines expectations for students
- from school attendance the day of a dance to the requirement that everyone moves through a
greeting line. A student suspected of being under the influence is inspected and may be referred to a
police officer and, if deemed necessary, may be taken to the police station for protective custody.
In Belmont, Kelleher said, the student government will review the new policy as the school year
progresses and update it as necessary.
The half-dozen or so dances per year in Belmont - a seniors dance postponed the week of Halloween
was tentatively rescheduled for this Saturday, and there is an all-school dance Dec. 14 - attract a couple
hundred students each and have typically been problem-free, save for the occasional student caught
drinking or using illegal drugs.
"Once in a while, stuff like this pops up," said Kelleher. "We need to do something about it."
National Chain Stores to Limit Youth Access to Cough Medicine
Burlington Union May 31, 2007
Daily Times Chronicle May 30, 2007
By Marilyn Belmonte
Co-Chairperson, Burlington Drug & Alcohol Task Force
Good news for parents who are concerned about the potential for cough medicine abuse. National
chain stores are just starting to require an ID to purchase medications containing dextromethorphan,
the most common cough suppressant on the market. CVS, Target and Walgreen's and Stop & Shop
have released a memo to their stores effective this month to begin restricting the sale of
dextromethorphan products to people 18 years of age or older.
According to Boston University School of Public Health, large chain stores are beginning a voluntary
age restriction on the sale of cough medicines containing dextromethorphan. Dextromethorphan, also
called DXM, is a common ingredient in cough and cold syrups, lozenges, and pills. Products containing
DXM include Robitussin Maximum Strength Cough Suppressant, Sucrets 8 Hour Cough Suppressant,
and Vicks 44 Cough Relief, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Abuse of DXM has become popular among young teens and is not restricted only to cough syrup. Any
product containing DXM can be abused. Parents need to check the medications in their medicine
cabinets to ascertain whether they have DXM in the house. Code terms for this abuse are "dex,
dexing, robo, robotripping, skittles, triple-C, C-C-C".
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration issued a warning in 2005 after five teenagers died in cases that
may have been associated "with the consumption of powered DXM," according to the agency.
"Although DXM, when formulated properly and used in small amounts, can be safely used in cough
suppressant medicines, abuse of the drug can cause death as well as other serious adverse events
such as brain damage, seizure, loss of consciousness, and irregular heart beat." The entire warning
can be found at http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2005/ANS01360.html.
"It isn't someone taking a few more tablespoons or a couple more pills - it's 25 to 50 times the
recommended dose," said Elizabeth Funderburk, communications director for the Consumer
Healthcare Products Association, the trade association for over-the-counter drug manufacturers.
The latest "Monitoring the Future" survey, released by the University of Michigan last December 2006,
reported that 4 percent of 8th-graders, 5 percent of 10th-graders, and 7 percent of 12th-graders said
they used cough or cold medicines to get high. According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN),
an agency that monitors drug incidents at hospital emergency rooms, the 2004 rate of DXM-related
visits for people aged 12 to 20 was nearly twice as often as with any other age group.
Several states have considered legislation that would limit DXM sales to adults, but none have passed,
according to Kevin Nicholson, vice president for pharmacy regulatory affairs for the National
Association of Chain Drug Stores.
Physical signs of abuse of DXM are hallucinations, panic attacks, racing heart, rigid muscle tone,
drowsiness, dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, headaches, rashes, itchy skin, numb
extremities, seizures and coma. If you suspect your child has taken too much dextromethorphan,
please call 911 immediately. If you are concerned that your child has abused DXM in the past, contact
your pediatrician for a CRAFFT assessment.
Communities such as Burlington have implemented liquor compliance testing to enforce the legal
drinking age and reduce youth access to alcohol. There are many laws that limit access of alcohol,
tobacco products and even some cold medicines to young people. It is an exciting development to see
national corporations take a voluntary stand to help reduce substance abuse in our children without
waiting for a law to pass. For more information, please contact the task force at
Marilyn@DrugAbuseRecognition.com or 781-572-1478.
Addict's story touches a nerve at city drug education forum
by Adam Swift, Peabody Weekly News, April 5, 2007 (See photo on "Photo Album" page)
PEABODY – During a public participation forum addressing the issue of drug abuse by young people,
Mayor Michael Bonfanti characterized the problem as “posing as great a risk to society as the threat
posed by terrorists.”
Last week’s panel, the conclusion of the five-week Citizen’s Drug Recognition Academy sponsored by
the city, gave citizens the opportunity to question representatives from the police department, sheriff’s
department, the district attorney’s office, and the state health department about drug issues.
For many in attendance, however, the most effective speaker of the night was an unscheduled one.
Peter, a young heroin addict who attended the forum with his parents and who had just left a detox
facility the previous day, spoke about his struggles both with addiction and trying to recover.
“I live in Peabody and I’ve been battling opiate addiction for the past four years,” said Peter, who did
not want to give his last name. “I got into OxyContin and that lead to heroin use.”
Peter said he had just spent time in a detox center in Westborough, but he said he had to leave that
facility when his health insurance would no longer cover it.
“It wasn’t a bad facility, everyone there was nice, but I noticed that all of the staff there is overworked,”
he said. “We’re drug addicts and we need instant gratification.”
Peter said the counselor who worked with him did everything she could to get him into a bed at a
halfway house, but he said, there was a minimum three-week wait to get a bed anywhere in the area.
“The day before I left, there were 14 people discharged and only three places (in halfway houses)
available,” Peter said. “The rest had to go back out onto the streets.”
“Six days in rehabilitation is just not enough. I’m still sitting here shaking,” he said.
Peter called the opiate problem in the region an epidemic and said that he knows eight people who
overdosed and died.
“All of this stuff is everywhere,” said Peter. “I remember walking into a house party one night and
seeing a pile of 400 (OxyContin tablets) on the table, and they weren’t robbed from a pharmacy.”
“I don’t blame anyone else but me for my addiction, but when I went for help, I had to get kicked out of
the detox center and go home,” Peter said. “Even though I want it more than anything (to get better), I
got kicked to the curb.”
Department of Public Health Assistant Commissioner Michael Botticelli commended Peter for his
honesty and courage in speaking at the forum and noted that the public health department is constantly
looking for more funding to add more detox and rehabilitation beds in the state.
Botticelli also said that there are scores of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotic Anonymous meetings
that addicts can attend while waiting for spaces in state facilities to open up.
“The other issue that I feel very strongly about is that when you look at private insurance companies,
they pay very little for substance abuse,” said Botticelli. He said addicts have to rely mainly on state
resources.
“If you had cancer, (the insurance companies) would not say you were done in six days and not get you
any more services,” Botticelli said. “I think it’s reprehensible that the insurance companies do not pay
for further treatments.”
After the forum, Bonfanti said, Cousins was able to help Peter and find him a bed in a rehab facility.
Many of the panelists who spoke during the forum expressed the need for parents to become more
educated about the signs of drug use and culture.
“All of us, parents, educators, and government, need to work together to combat this killer of our kids,”
Bonfanti said.
The mayor said there are no easy answers to the problem, but said that education and awareness are
key components of the struggle.
“Parents need to take a more active role and need to spend more time with this problem and spend
less time focusing on minor issues like parking fees and the football coach,” Bonfanti said.
Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins said his department deals with the rehabilitation and treatment of
drug addicts as well as the punishment of criminals.
“The number one thing we need to do is bring the awareness and education piece forward,” Cousins
said. “People need to understand the evils of what happens with drug abuse and alcohol abuse.”
While illegal drugs are always an issue, Cousins said, there has been an alarming increase in the
number of young people abusing prescription drugs.
Tom Donovan, special counsel to Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, agreed that there
has been a dramatic use in the abuse of prescription drugs over the past few years. He said 65 percent
of all prescription drugs that are abused come from household prescriptions.
“Kids think the prescription drugs are safer than other drugs,” said Donovan. “This is not unique to
Peabody or Lynn, it’s everywhere.”
Police Captain Gerald Bellew, a 37-year veteran of the police force, said it’s not possible for the city
and the region to arrest its way out of the drug problem.
“I firmly believe on the awareness situation that many people choose to keep their heads in the sand
and ignore the problem,” Bellew said. “Parents, unfortunately, have to be very suspicious of their
children. They have to open their drawers and look into their pockets for their own good.”
Parents have to pay attention to who their children are hanging around with and even pay attention to
how they dress, Bellew said.
“If your kids come home late, you have to take them to task,” Bellew said. “If anything is out of the
ordinary, you have to address it before it comes to something bad.”
Superintendent of Schools Milton Burnett said battling drug abuse boils down to helping young people
make good choices.
“If students show self respect and respect to others, and if there is a good school climate, the
academics will really take off,” said Burnett.
Last week’s public forum on drug issues was part of the Citizens Drug Recognition Academy organized
by Marilyn Belmonte of Burlington.
Topics discussed during the Citizens Drug Recognition Academy included plant based and traditional
drugs, prescription and over the counter drugs, club drugs, drug-facilitated sexual assaults, and
breaking barriers of communication when talking to your kids about drugs. The presentations included
multi-media programs, video clips of real kids talking about their drug experiences, and hands-on
paraphernalia.
“Our mission is to get this information to the parents,” said Belmonte. “ A lot of parents feel frustrated
that they don’t know where they can send their children so they can socialize with friends and also feel
like they are safe.”
Drug class seeks prevention
By Bella Travaglini, Danvers Herald
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Police last week did not mince words during a graphic seminar on the signs of drug abuse in kids.
“We can’t arrest our way out of this situation,” Chief Neil Ouellette said during the first session of
Citizens’ Drug Recognition Academy. “Sometimes kids overdose and die on the first or second time
they do drugs.”
Ouellette acknowledged that police are sometimes powerless in preventing kids from doing drugs; he
put the onus on parents. The school and police departments can assist parents in helping through
programs like D.A.R.E., but the ultimate responsibility lies with parents in keeping a diligent watchful
eye, said Sgt. Robert Bettencourt, who oversees the D.A.R.E. program.
“We have the kids; now we need you,” Bettencourt told parents.
Police, together with the School Department and the Community that Cares, are sponsoring a five-week
program for parents in response to drug abuse of epic proportions in the state and alarming results
produced by a survey last year given to middle and high school students.
About 65 parents packed into the Danvers High School library on Thursday, March 15 for a no holds
barred presentation on how to detect drug use in kids. This session, which focused on plant-based
drug use, is the first in a series of five scheduled over the next several weeks facilitated by Marilyn
Belmonte, an expert in substance abuse.
Parents were riveted by the alarming statistics Belmonte delivered on drug use in Massachusetts
among teens and graphic video accounts of kids shooting up heroin.
The latest numbers for drug use in the Boston area have heroin and OxyContin use ranked high on the
spectrum with crystal meth and Ecstasy use on the rise in clubs, Belmonte said. However, as fast as
one drug rises to the top of popularity, another claims the spot.
“Drugs go out of style as quickly as painted toe nails,” Belmonte said. “When one drug wanes another
takes its place.”
The drugs kids choose have a lot to do with what they think is “in style,” Belmonte said. So, it follows
that for adolescent girls who may be weight conscious the drug of choice for now in this area is
cocaine.
“Girls are using cocaine as a diet drug,” Belmonte said.
And, for the first time in history, drug and alcohol use among girls nationwide is higher than that among
boys, according to statistics compiled by an arm of the White House, Belmonte said.
The potency of drugs today make them particularly deadly, and kids need to step up quantities they take
to achieve the same high, Belmonte said, which in turn ups the ante for an overdose. The low cost for
hardcore drugs, such as heroin, makes obtaining it even more attainable for kids, which could be
contributing to the high numbers of kids abusing this and other drugs like it.
And, there’s always one telltale sign parents should be looking for.
“The eyes are the window to the soul,” Belmonte said. “Drugs do things to the eyes that the brain is
incapable of doing on its own.”
Parents shouldn’t underestimate the enormous influence they have over their kids, Belmonte said, and
they should use that influence to help decrease the chances of their kids using drugs.
“You should look them in the eye and just tell them – I don’t want you to smoke pot! I don’t want you to
drink!” Belmonte said. “Your kids don’t want to disappoint you. They don’t want you to lose respect for
them. Just telling them can be a huge influence.”
With the plethora of information available on the Internet, kids are able to visit Web sites to gather
information on what the latest drug trend is and the fastest way to achieve a high. In striking contrast,
those same sites offer kids advice on how to save their own lives in case of an overdose.
“These sites tell kids to be sure to tell their friends what drugs they’re on,” Belmonte said. “This way,
their friends can tell the EMTs what they took when they OD.”
No one can say for sure why drug abuse on the North Shore has risen to epidemic proportions,
crossing social and economic barriers, experts say. Drug use, however, can be traced back to ancient
Babylon and Greece and to ancient Egypt, too, where traces of opiates have been found in Egyptian
mummies.
“Invaders in China during the 18th century promoted drug addiction in order to take over the country,”
Belmonte said. “They wanted to get everyone high so they were rendered powerless.”
Drug use may be embedded in our culture, Belmonte said, and parents must take control over their
own children.
“Kids who are going to abuse drugs need you to be ignorant,” Belmonte said. “Ignorance is bliss and
they’re counting on that. This program may be a little scary, but education is power. You as parents will
be empowered upon completion of this program.”
The Citizens’ Drug Recognition Academy is running for four more weeks every Thursday from 7 p.m. to
9 p.m. in the second floor library of Danvers High School. It is free for adults living or working in
Danvers. It’s not too late to register for the remaining sessions. Contact Sgt. Robert Bettencourt at 978-
774-1213, ext. 134, or email him at rbettencourt@mail.danvers-ma.org.
Citizens Drug Recognition Academy
March 22: Prescription Drugs and Over-the-counter Drugs
March 29: Club Drugs
April 5: Drug-facilitated Sexual Assaults/Talking to your Kids about Drugs
April 12: Q & A with School Department and Police Department
Gateway Drugs Education Night for Parents Planned for March 7
Burlington Union, February 15, 2007
The National Youth Anti-drug Media Campaign is urging parents to sharpen their
conversation skills in response to a new survey that focuses on trends in parent-teen interaction. A
poll conducted by the organization shows that most parents have difficulty talking to their teens about
tough subjects such as drug use. When they do talk to their kids, they typically lack the confidence,
education about drugs and communication skills to do so effectively.
This has prompted the Burlington Drug and Alcohol Task Force and Burlington PTO Association to offer
an education night for parents. The adult program entitled, "Gateway Drugs: Our Children on the Road
to Trouble" will be held on Wednesday March 7, 2007 in the Marshall Simonds Middle School Auditorium
from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. The presentation is especially designed for parents of children in elementary
school and middle school. Door prizes will be awarded.
The survey studied the kinds of conversations parents have with teens and whether they feel
comfortable and confident talking to them. When it comes to tough topics like
drug use, most parents (52%) admit to having difficulty with those conversations.
Even more troubling is that while nearly half of parents (48%) know their teens are exposed to drugs,
that awareness is not motivating them to action.
Research confirms the importance of parents talking to their children early about smoking cigarettes
and drinking alcohol. Children who start drinking and smoking in adolescence have a greater risk of
becoming addicted to cigarettes, have alcohol related issues as adults and abuse other drugs.
The gateway drug program in March helps parents to sharpen their communication skills in parent-teen
interactions. It will give parents the education to discuss drugs with confidence. The evening program
also will include a panel discussion with members of the Burlington Police Department and Burlington
Schools.
"The Task Force wants to reach out to parents of younger children this year to stress the importance of
talking to our kids about smoking and alcohol," said Marilyn Belmonte, co-chair of the Burlington Drug
and Alcohol Task Force. "We know now that teens become addicted to drugs, including tobacco and
alcohol, faster than adults. New studies on brain development help us understand that prevention of
underage drinking and smoking will greatly reduce addiction risks."
City kicks off sobering series of drug talks
By Stacie N. Galang, Salem News, January 18, 2007
PEABODY - Be afraid.
Because if Marilyn Belmonte is right, the war on drugs is far from over.
At last night's city-sponsored Citizens Drug Recognition Academy, Belmonte gave a two-hour
presentation chock full of statistics about the drug world, up-to-the-minute research on its effects and
dozens of examples of drug paraphernalia.
If that weren't enough, she also shared unsettling pictures of users riddled by needle marks and video
of them shooting up. The images left more than a few in the audience shifting in their seats.
Last night's session was the first of five designed to empower parents and tune them into today's
market for drugs.
"My idea is you're going to catch it," Belmonte told the nearly 60 parents gathered at the Higgins Middle
School auditorium. "You're going to be empowered on the first night."
The speaker gave a 50-slide presentation on plant-based and traditional drugs. She talked about local
trends, especially the use of opiates and stimulants.
Belmonte also previewed the horrors of methamphetamine, which hasn't taken root locally. The drug
has a "choke hold" on the rest of the country, has only a 6 percent rate of rehabilitation and no medical
means of deterring addiction, she said.
"I want your eyes open and ready for the next thing coming," Belmonte said.
Amid the dire stories of abuse and overdose, she offered pearls of hope. Belmonte told the audience
that numerous surveys indicated that kids who never experimented with drugs offered one reason:
their parents. She said the key to keeping children away from drugs was the fear of losing their parents
love and respect.
"I want them scared," Belmonte said. "You're going to let them know that you're not clueless and you
don't want them doing drugs."
Mayor Michael Bonfanti told parents that drugs posed a greater risk to children today than terrorism.
He said he was shocked to know parents and children did not know the insidious nature of drugs.
"You are the front lines," he told them. "You are the first line of defense. Parents need to step up."
The Wednesday night classes will continue each week through Feb. 14.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Legal drug misuse under parents’ noses; Tantasqua to clue adults
in on problem
By Craig S. Semon TELEGRAM & GAZETTE (Abridged)
STURBRIDGE— The drugs are changing, and it’s hard to keep up, especially when it comes to the drug
of choice for today’s adolescents and teenagers.
With the days of back alley drug deals taking a back seat to the family’s medicine cabinet and over-the-
counter drugs, Michelle S. Breuer, health educator at Tantasqua Regional High School, hopes to
empower parents with the tools to recognize whether their child has a drug problem.
Ms. Breuer, working in partnership with Assistant Superintendent Katie Fitzgerald, has scheduled
“Trendy Drug Recognition for Parents: OCs and OTCs” at 7 p.m. Jan. 18 in the auditorium at Tantasqua
Regional High School. (“OCs” and “OTCs” refer to OxyContin and over-the-counter drugs, respectively.)
Marilyn Grifoni Belmonte, program director of the Drug Abuse Recognition Programs at the Middlesex
County sheriff’s office and co-chairperson of the Burlington Drug and Alcohol Task Force, will be the
keynote speaker. The free program is open only to parents and adult guardians. Organizers ask that
anyone planning to attend to send a confirmation e-mail to rsvp@tantasqua.org by Tuesday.
“If the parents have it in their medicine cabinet, the kids have it, and that’s where some of the
problems come in,” Ms. Breuer said. “You got kids who have the availability of OxyContin, oftentimes
because their parents have chronic pain issues, and so they have the ability to have access to that.
And then you also have more of recognition of the over-the-counter medications that kids are
misusing.”
While alcohol and marijuana are still the most popular abused drugs with teens, Ms. Breuer said, a very
small segment does experiment with their parents’ pain pills. She said the “pill thing” is newer and
appeals to people who don’t want to be associated with the image of the drug “burnout.”
Ms. Breuer suggests parents keep talking with their children and make sure the children know that
they care about them and are doing this in the best interest of child. Parents should also try to stay
neutral, not judgmental, and try to give their children the tools and the skills that they need to say no to
drugs and not to give in to peer pressure, she said.
Family conflict a source of teen stress
Tewksbury survey results released (abridged)
By Joyce Pellino Crane, Globe Correspondent | December 3, 2006
Drugs aren't necessarily a big problem among Tewksbury's teenagers, but mean-spirited fighting at
home might be.
Those are just two results of a Youth At Risk survey completed last month and released last week by
Tewksbury Community Advocates for Resources, or Tewksbury Cares.
The survey marks the first tangible result of the group, which grew out of the Board of Health in the
summer last year to raise awareness about substance abuse. Though it has taken a while to reach this
first milestone, its members say, they are steadily moving toward making a difference in the lives of the
town's teenagers.
Nearly 1,700 students in grades 7 through 12 responded to this fall's survey questions, designed to
gauge attitudes and behavior on drug and alcohol use. Questions included whether respondents had
experienced family conflict, attended religious services, found opportunity for involvement in the town
and at school, felt connected to their families, had goals, and followed rules. The responses were
compared with the results of a 2005 National Institutes of Health survey of eighth-, 10th-, and 12th-
graders.
The responses showed their use of illegal substances on a lifetime basis were comparable to or lower
than the national results, except for 12th-graders' use of the "designer drug," ecstasy. In Tewksbury, 8
percent of high school seniors said they used the drug sometime in their life, compared with 5.4
percent nationally. In Tewksbury, 52 percent of respondents said they have used alcohol in their
lifetime, and 23 percent have used marijuana, as well as cigarettes. Twelve percent have taken
inhalants, and the same percentage ingested smokeless tobacco. Less than 1 percent has used heroin,
2 percent cocaine, and 3 percent psychedelic drugs. Methamphetamine, a drug widely used in the West
and Midwest, registered at less than 1 percent in Tewksbury.
Tami Gouveia-Vigeant, community health specialist for the Northeast Center for Communities, one of six
state-funded centers that support community-based substance-abuse coalitions, said teenagers' high
use of alcohol and marijuana raises red flags because it can lead to abuse of other substances.
Gouveia-Vigeant helped Tewksbury Cares acquire funding for its survey and is assisting
Billerica's substance abuse committee with its efforts to raise awareness.
She added that Tewksbury Cares will hold a series of weekly workshops for parents from Jan. 29 to
March 5. Led by Marilyn Belmonte, a certified trainer for drug recognition and co chair of the Burlington
Drug and Alcohol Task Force, the program will cover the different classes of drugs, and explain how
drugs are used in sexual assaults. It will end with a panel discussion among community leaders.
"My program is designed to help parents recognize when your kids are on drugs," said Belmonte.
"They can hide their drugs, but they can't hide their eyes. They can't hide their behavior. If you know
what to look for, you're going to see it."
Cynthia Kaplan, a child psychologist and the administrative director of the Child and Adolescent
Program at McLean Hospital in Belmont, sees the deception when teenagers come for treatment.
Despite the survey's results, Kaplan said, use of club drugs, ecstasy, and heroin is on the rise, while
marijuana and alcohol use have stayed constant over the past few years.
"Kids, even when answering with anonymity, are underreporting their use," she said. "Kids don't trust
the concept of anonymity from adults."
The stress can lead to substance abuse as a coping mechanism. "Some kids drink through experiment,
some kids drink to hold something at a party," she said. "Some kids drink to cope. . . . Once something
is a coping strategy . . . it becomes more than something to go along, to get along."
But Cynthia Kinnon is heartened by the number of Tewksbury teenagers who said they found many
opportunities to be involved and connected to the town.
She said she wants to draw on the community's strengths to keep young people safe from substance
abuse.
"Tewksbury is a kids' community," she said.
"There are so many parents doing so much for the kids of Tewksbury. If we can make them aware of just
little things, that will make a difference. It will give them some insight."
Wakefield officers hold drug identification program
November 2, 2006
Boston Globe
John Laidler
WAKEFIELD -- The Police Department last week completed its second Citizens Drug Recognition
Academy.
Paid for with the town's community policing funds, the academy is a program for adult residents that
teaches them how to identify illegal and over-the-counter drugs commonly used by young people, the
dangers of those drugs, and what to look for to determine whether a child might be taking them.
Taught by drug recognition expert Marilyn Belmonte of the Burlington Drug Task Force and coordinated
by Wakefield Officer David Morales, the most recent academy met once a week for six weeks, with 21
residents participating, at the Wakefield Police Station.
The first four weeks offered classes and the fifth week featured a panel discussion with community
leaders.
The final week featured a demonstration with the department dog trained in drug detection, and a
graduation ceremony, according to Police Chief Rick Smith.
An initial academy last spring attracted 42 participants. Smith said he plans a third academy early next
year.
Seminar informing parents on adolescent drug abuse
By Patrick Blais
October 18th, 2006
The Stoneham Independent
STONEHAM, MA - Almost every kid jumps at the sight of candy.
But does this centuries old love of sweets correlate to over-the-counter and prescription drug abuse
amongst youngsters and adolescents?
One expert argued just that last Wednesday at the high school auditorium during a parent education
forum on drug-use.
According to Marilyn Belmonte, a regionally renowned expert on regional drug-abuse trends and a
regular participant in police, paramedic, and teacher seminars on the topic, drug manufacturers have
saturated the market with over-the-counter medications that taste and even share the appearance of
candy.
Belmonte, who is facilitating a multi-layered Citizen's Drug Recognition Academy for parents at the
Stoneham High School, referred last Wednesday to a table-load of such sweet, fruity-flavored, non-
prescription drugs during the seminar, singling out some common cold and allergy syrups and tablets
that were actually shaped and packaged in common candy favorites like gummy-bears and pixie sticks.
And while the Co-Chair of the Burlington Drug and Alcohol Task Force admitted that these good tasting
remedies have made it easier for fussy children to "take their medicine", she insisted that the
manufacturers had created an unintended consequence: An increased likelihood that kids would
misuse the over-the-counter drugs.
The problem, Belmonte argued, is that children and adolescents see no danger in the substances, not
only because they taste so good, but also largely because of a fundamental misunderstanding about
dosage, or the amount of non-prescription medication that is safe to consume at one time.
"Medicine looks and tastes so much like candy that kids are treating it like candy," the lecturer said.
"Do you think my mom ever had to say, 'now, I don't want you taking that Castor Oil by itself, it's not
candy you know?'"
"[Kids] don't understand about dosage. They think they can take three, four, five pills and that it's safe.
We need to take the time to make sure our kids understand what safe means. Sure, you can buy it at
CVS, but that doesn't mean you can take the whole box."
According to Belmonte, while it may seem somewhat ridiculous to assume that adolescents abuse over-
the-counter drugs for a high, she referred to many indications that such a practice was becoming more
and more commonplace. (The Stoneham Independent, at the reasonable and understanding request of
the lecturer, agreed not to print which specific remedies were popular to abuse, nor the manner in
which they could be, so as not to encourage such use by providing a how-to manual).
By fundamentally misunderstanding just how dangerous over-the-counter drugs can be in large
quantities, many adolescents share a similar view of prescription medications as "safe", the Wheaton
College graduate furthered.
In fact, such attitudes have become so prevalent, according to recent studies, that nearly 40 percent of
adolescents view such drugs as safe, an estimated 30 percent of teens believe such substances are
non-addicting, and one-in-five teens abuse prescription medications.
"To put that into perspective, that means more teens are abusing prescription drugs than the
combined use of cocaine, heroin, PCP, ecstasy...we can go on and on and on," Belmonte explained.
"They'll tell you, 'I'm not stupid. I'm not using cocaine, I'm using prescription drugs. If it's safe enough
for a doctor to prescribe to grandma, then [it's safe enough for me].'"
While such teens might start taking prescription medication, the costs of maintaining such a habit,
especially once a tolerance for the drug is built-up, becomes far too high to maintain.
And so the new drug-addicted adolescents are forced to turn to the taboo "hard-drug" substances they
had perhaps shunned in the past. According to Belmonte, for those abusing pain-killers, especially
Oxycontin, that new drug of choice too often becomes heroin.
"For a dollar a milligram, we're talking about $80 a pill. And kids have that money," the drug expert said.
"But what happens when you need a pill every day, or every three to five hours? Who can afford that?
And that's when they go to heroin, because it's so dirt cheap. That's the connection."
According to Belmonte, parents can take steps to ensure that such a problem never occurs with their
child. First and foremost, she argued, parents need to stop hoarding or storing prescription drugs that
they no longer need, as teens often discover the forgotten substances and end-up either abusing
them or selling them in school.
Parents can also start familiarizing themselves with what she termed the physical "cues" of drug-abuse.
The most common indicator, one that all people will display, surrounds the appearance of the eye.
For example, for narcotic medications [common pain-killers], the pupils will become pin-pointed, fixed
and non-responsive to light, and be covered by drooped eyelids. For those "coming down" from
narcotic-based prescription drugs as the medication wears off, the pupils will expand and contract
wildly.
Other indicators of narcotic-based drugs include constant scratching of the face and arms, a sedated
or sleepy appearance, cool and clammy skin, and a "dreamy" or almost drunk-like manner of walking
and talking.
The opposite will occur for stimulant-based drugs, such as those commonly prescribed for Attention
Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) in that the pupils will dilate,
sweating instead of having clammy skin will occur, and hyperactivity or tremoring/shaking rather than
appearing sluggish.
Thank you so
much-- you were
educational, funny,
insightful and
understanding of
all the battles we
fight as parents,
not just with our
kids who like to
challenge the rules,
but with society in
general and other
parents who might
not be on the same
page as us.
-A Parent from
Swampscott MA
much-- you were
educational, funny,
insightful and
understanding of
all the battles we
fight as parents,
not just with our
kids who like to
challenge the rules,
but with society in
general and other
parents who might
not be on the same
page as us.
-A Parent from
Swampscott MA
"Reducing Drug Abuse Through Recognition
And Community Awareness"
And Community Awareness"
| DRUG RECOGNITION TRAINING For a Community Forum in Wesford MA "EMPOWERING PARENTS" |
Marilyn Grifoni Belmonte,
Program Director, Certified Instructor
Co-Chair, Burlington Drug & Alcohol Task Force
Program Director, Certified Instructor
Co-Chair, Burlington Drug & Alcohol Task Force
| Phone: 781-572-1478 |
Contact Info:
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| Email: Marilyn@DrugAbuseRecognition.com |
