There is hope but we need your help

    “Can substance abuse really be prevented?” This important question is often asked, or thought, by many individuals who see the problem of substance abuse and wonder why there is seemingly little progress in the ‘war on drugs’. There has been progress, there is hope: substance abuse can be prevented.     Where is the proof? For the past 10 years the federal government, through nationwide Drug Free Communities prevention initiatives, has implemented a comprehensive approach to prevention that is focused on changing beliefs, values, policies and practices that are the root causes for substance abuse. Focus of change is not just targeted to schools and increased enforcement but also to whole communities, physical environments (i.e. number of alcohol outlets in an area), workplaces, schools, families and individuals. The result of this comprehensive approach was a 19% decline in the percent of students nationwide reporting past month use of any illicit drug between 2001 and 2005 (2005 Monitoring the Future Survey, University of Michigan).
    Nevertheless, in the past five years abuse of prescription drugs has increased dramatically among youth both nationwide and locally. There is still a need to engage in comprehensive prevention strategies in order to continue to address substance abuse, and in particular prescription drug abuse.
    Unfortunately, funding cuts are a constant threat to prevention efforts. Although Aroostook Substance Abuse received a five-year Drug Free Communities Grant in 2007, the federal government recently announced dramatic cuts to all Drug Enforcement Agencies throughout the Country, including the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) here in Aroostook County.
    Data from 2007 indicate that 44 percent of substances involved in MDEA cases are prescription drugs. Every year funding for MDEA and local law enforcement agencies is threatened. Local law enforcement and MDEA Commander Darrell Crandall report the lack of funding for enforcement agencies makes it challenging for them to do as much as they want to do to prevent substance abuse. This, at a time when prescription drug abuse and the harms it causes are increasing rapidly.
    Enforcement agencies are an essential piece of the comprehensive prevention approach. Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention asks you to help prevent substance abuse by contacting your Federal and State congressional delegates and telling them that law enforcement agencies are hurting and that you do not want monies to be taken away from substance abuse prevention efforts.
    For information about how to contact your Federal and local congressional delegates, please contact ASAP Project Director Clare Desrosiers (521-2408) or Project Assistant Allison Heidorn (498-2979).
    This article was brought to you by Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP), a countywide substance abuse prevention collaborative. For more information about ASAP and its prevention efforts contact Clare Desrosiers, Project Director (521-2408) or Allison Heidorn, Project Assistant (498-2979).