Lincoln County Communities Against Substance Abuse (CASA) will host a community conversation about youth substance abuse at the Lincoln Academy dining commons on Veterans’ Day.
Bobby Whear, a member of the Lincoln County CASA Board of Directors and co-host of the Lincoln County Television show “Wuzzup” will moderate the event, also known as 11.11.11.11 (11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month of 2011).
“Youth substance abuse: an open public conversation about what’s happening with our children and substance abuse” will allow parents to ask questions of the educational, law enforcement and medical communities.
For those who cannot attend, the event will air Thurs., Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. on Boothbay Harbor Community Television (BHCTV) and Lincoln County Television (LCTV) as part of the weekly “Wuzzup” program.
The conversation will not focus on any particular form of substance abuse, but might include discussion of alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs and the recently infamous bath salts.
Substance abuse varies greatly from Damariscotta to Waldoboro to the Lincoln County peninsulas, said Joyce Steel, substance abuse prevention coordinator for Healthy Lincoln County.
Law enforcement officials will likely focus on issues of concern in their communities. Boothbay Harbor police, for example, have expressed concern about substance abuse by children, Steel said.
“We have a lot of concerns about kids’ use of prescription meds,” Steel said. “We have a lot of concerns about underage drinking because that is and remains the gateway drug and the most prevalent” form of substance abuse, she said.
In addition to parents, Lincoln County CASA invites youth to attend and participate in the program, as well as grandparents, caregivers and “anybody in this community that wants to know what’s going on with our children – and it is our children, as young as 9 and 10” who engage in substance abuse, Steel said.
The event will allow for informal discussion of the issues in a relaxed, non-judgmental setting, the organizers say. “It’s not a presentation,” Steel said. “We’re not preaching.”
“It’s a great opportunity for parents to talk to the police directly without being in a confrontational situation,” Steel said.
“We want a parent to hear from a police officer exactly what’s going on out there,” Whear said. “It’s not like the old days.”
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer Deputy Mark Bridgham regularly leads workshops to assist parents in identifying the symptoms of drug use. Bridgham has received bath salts-specific training and will be available to speak about the drug, Whear said.
The Maine legislature passed emergency legislation in late September to toughen penalties for possession, furnishing and trafficking of the drug.
A poster distributed by Healthy Lincoln County calls bath salts “a dangerous new designer drug” and lists, among the symptoms of the drug, delusions, extreme paranoia, psychosis, suicidal thoughts and unpredictable and possibly violent behavior.
The poster urges the public to call 911 upon coming into contact with someone under the influence of bath salts and to avoid approaching or confronting the individual.
It’s important to educate the public about the dangers of the synthetic drug, Steel said. “It’s on everybody’s lips right now, but nobody knows what it is,” she said.
The list of participants confirmed for the forum thus far includes Bridgham, Damariscotta Police Chief Chad Andrews, Wiscasset Police Chief Troy Cline, Eric Haram, director of outpatient behavioral health at Midcoast Hospital’s Addiction Resource Center; Boothbay Harbor Police Chief Robert Hasch, Medomak Valley High School Resource Officer and Waldoboro Police officer Thomas Hoepner, LCSO Lt. Rand Maker, Waldoboro Police Detective Lance Mitchell, Boothbay Harbor Police officer Jared Mitkus, Lincoln Academy Assistant Head of School Andy Mullin and Youth Promise Executive Director Mary Trescot.
Event organizers expect additional representatives of the educational and medical community to attend.
For more information about the 11.11.11.11. Youth Substance Abuse event, call Joyce Steel at Healthy Lincoln County at 563-6123.
