| Author | Message | ||
     Billy Jack Citizen Username: Kendalbill Post Number: 233 Registered: 6-2002  |
Has anyone else noticed that we hear very little about drug problems in our town(s). While heroin and meth seem to be huge issues in high schools in more rural districts, I hear little to nothing about the problem here. Thank God. Anyone know if this true? Any insights? | ||
| Joan Supporter Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 8341 Registered: 5-2001 |
Ask the kids. They are the ones who are most apt to know what is really going on. I wouldn't assume there is absolutely no drug problem in our two towns just because the possibility of such a problem isn't publicized by either town or by the school district. | ||
| Billy Jack Citizen Username: Kendalbill Post Number: 234 Registered: 6-2002 |
Joan, let me be clear: I never suggested there is no drug problem. And the kids I talk to tell me about issues they know about-- but they can't compare the problem to other schools or towns. I'm just saying that I have noticed a welcome absence of drugs in the headlines, police blotters and even the topics debated here. Is there a reason? | ||
| crabby Citizen Username: Crabbyappleton Post Number: 790 Registered: 1-2004 |
alcohol and pot. Seems like the more expensive stuff is in towns where the kids have more money. | ||
| Mayor McCheese Supporter Username: Mayor_mccheese  Post Number: 2276 Registered: 7-2004  |
Kids in Maplewood and South Orange have plenty of money for drugs. Yes, there is a problem with drugs in town. No, it is not something that is publicized. | ||
| Bajou Citizen Username: Bajou Post Number: 1795 Registered: 2-2006  |
Are you kidding me? There is a major problem with drugs in town. You can pretty much get anything in columbia high that has ever been found to make you high. We have the bloods and the cryps in the neighborhood and they are not making their money by selling cookies. Seton Hall drugs gallore! Your paper would be about 5 pounds heavy if there would be an article for every person that got busted for drugs. | ||
| cmontyburns Citizen Username: Cmontyburns Post Number: 2001 Registered: 12-2003  |
here we go. | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 15638 Registered: 1-2003  |
Billy Jack, tell us why you ask. We can give you a more useful answer that way. | ||
| Billy Jack Citizen Username: Kendalbill Post Number: 235 Registered: 6-2002 |
Simple: when I was in high school many moons ago, drugs and problems related to drugs were all you ever heard about. Cut to 2006- when I visit my parents (small town in CT), local paper is still full of drug arrests. My wife's town (western NJ), same thing. In fact her little town in Warren Cty is known for a major heroin problem in their hs. Just came back from coastal NC- local paper full of drug arrests. I've lived in Maplewood 15 years, and I don't remember the problem ever being as big (or as visable) as these other towns. And considering we border Newark and Irvington and are close to NYC, I always thought it curious. I understand Millburn has a serious issue in their hs. Yet, when I ask anyone, parents or students, what they think of Columbia drugs have never been an issue. Never. I'm sure there are drugs and there are individual issues and anecdotes. But even if we use the subject lines on MOL as an indication, it just doesn't seem to be as big a deal here. | ||
| MSO55 Citizen Username: Mso55 Post Number: 27 Registered: 5-2006 |
Well I'm sure there's drinking and pot smoking if that even counts but I think that's pretty much inevitable.I don't think we have too much of a drug problem though and we should be thankful that we don't have the kind of problem in Columbia that they have in Millburn High. | ||
| greenthumb Citizen Username: Green_thumb Post Number: 84 Registered: 5-2006 |
Curious, what problem in Millburn HS -- certainly isn't discussed in the Millburn Item? I'm sure there are kids who drink and smoke pot -- but are you saying there is a herion problem in MBHS? | ||
| MSO55 Citizen Username: Mso55 Post Number: 30 Registered: 5-2006 |
No I don't think there is a heroin problem at MHS. I didn't even know high schools were having heroin problems in general. I've heard they're having problems with cocaine. I know Pennington, NJ has a HUGE cocaine trafficking problem among the high schoolers. They have major police presence and strict ordinances in place. | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 15641 Registered: 1-2003 |
I bet there's more unprescribed Ritalin going around than cocaine or heroin. Kids are dealing ADD drugs these days. | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 15642 Registered: 1-2003 |
And by the way, if anyone needs some Calamine lotion, send me a privateline. I have my sources. | ||
| MSO55 Citizen Username: Mso55 Post Number: 32 Registered: 5-2006 |
Supposedly there's a lot of that at MHS as well. Prescription pills. Also, How much you pushin' that Calamine lotion for? Ever since the bloods and crips brought it into CHS it's been in high demand. | ||
| Glock 17 Citizen Username: Glock17 Post Number: 1901 Registered: 7-2005  |
"To be a dopeman you must qualify. Don't get high off your own supply." "Never traffic for fun. Only traffic for funds." | ||
| Joanne G Citizen Username: Joanne Post Number: 671 Registered: 10-2004 |
While I doubt there are many parallels b/n Maplewood/ S-O and Howlong/Albury/Wodonga, you rarely hear about drugs, family abuse and hoemless youth here, either. I think the truth is that if you're in the circle that knows, then you're aware and if you're not, then you just don't hear or see so it's hard to become aware. One case study: last week I chaired a meeting of a social action group. At this meeting there were many service provider workers and many concerned citizens talkinga bout issues affecting people with disabiltiies. Guest speaker was a city councillor who has just taken up a paid position in an organisation that works with youth on alcohol and chemcial abuse projects. While everyone is aware of the recreational drugs issue, and the pre-teen drinking issue, and foetal alcohol syndrome issue, and abuse of prescription meds, and the linked homelessness and sexual abuse issues, ... no-one wants to talk about the known-but-hidden issue of abused prescription medications IN FAMILIES WITH DISABILITY issue - because no-one knows how to bring the subject up. Well, we have a new project now so that's good - but I mention it because it shows that just becasue soemthign isn't spoken about doesn't mean it's not in your community in significant numbers. | ||
| Billy Jack Citizen Username: Kendalbill Post Number: 236 Registered: 6-2002 |
From the responses, I guess my instincts were right: generally speaking we do not seem to have a widespread drug problem. Knock on wood. I emphasize "seem to have" and "widespread"- I know full well that there are issues in many homes that are kept quiet. They are worthy of concern in their own right, just individually. I didn't mean to suggest that Millburn HS had a heroin problem. But, as someone suggested here, I have talked to students in Millburn- many of whom have mentioned drugs in the HS as a huge issue. My guess was that it was cocaine and prescpition drugs- Other schools, particularly in more rural areas, are having heroin problems. They snort it usually, and it is relatively cheap. If you talk with kids out in Hackettstown (as an example) you will hear horrifying stories. I am not suggesting we don't have work to do, and there are responses to the problems that Joanne G mentioned that we should investigate-- but I am very pleased to not hear one type of bad news here in Maplewood. | ||
| Joanne G Citizen Username: Joanne Post Number: 672 Registered: 10-2004 |
There was an itnersting radio interview last week over here that dealt with the availability of various street drugs in Australia, and in Melbourne in particular (it was a Melbournian program). The guest was from a national body that researchers and monitors national use and policing of drug abuse. He said that heroin use differs from country to country based on where the supply originates - what mostly affects availability is the form of heroin that your country uses. So you guys snort, we inject and Europeans smoke as a generality because the closest producers supply the forms (mainly for their own historical cultures)that are best consumed in these fashions. It is rare for all these forms to be in great supply at the one time, and also to be highly affordable and at good consuming quality all at the one time: therefore, some parts of the world have more of an 'epidemic' than others as producers are squeezed and pressured so production slows or is transferred into a form better suited to another part of the world. It was really interesting. Well, for a girl who's really quite naive about these things.  |
