>> SOME MIGHT THINK THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC IS RELEGATEED INTO MORE
RURAL COMMUNITIES IN THE REGION, NOTHING COULD GO FURTHER FROM
THE TRUTH.
CAROLEE MCGRATH IS JOINED BY LONGMEADOW POLICE LIEUTENANT
ROBERT STOCKS AND LONGMEADOW FIRE CAPTAIN JOHN RIGNEY TO TALK
ABOUT HOW THE CURRENT CRISIS KNOWS NO GEOGRAPHIC OR
SOCIOECONOMIC BOUNDARIES.
>> FIRST, WHAT KIND OF AN IMPACT IS IT HAVING IN LONGMEADOW?
>> WELL, THE REASON WE'RE HOSTING THE FORUM, ON
MARCH 1st, IS BECAUSE WE'RE FINDING THAT MANY PEOPLE IN
SMALLER COMMUNITIES, LIKE LONGMEADOW, FEEL AS THOUGH THE
RECENT, THIS NEW EPIDEMIC THAT WE'RE SEEING, IT'S NO LONGER
SOMETHING THAT'S AFFECTING THE COMMUNITIES SUCH AS THE LARGE
CITIES, THE METRO AREAS, AND THIS IS A CRISIS OCCURRING IN
THE SMALL TOWNS, THE IDELIC SETTING OF LONGMEADOW, THE NEW
ENGLAND, PERFECT COMMUNITY, IF YOU WILL, IS JUST AS SUSCEPTIBLE
TO IT AS A SPRINGFIELD, CHICOPEE HOLE -- HOLYOKE SO WE WANT TO
PROVIDE EDUCATION, AND JUST AN OPPORTUNITY TO LET THE PEOPLE OF
LONGMEADOW KNOW THAT OPIOIDS ARE AFFECTING ANYONE AND EVERYONE,
AND DESPITE THEIR SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, AND YOUNG, OLD, I MEAN,
IT IS REALLY AFFECTING ANYONE.
SO, WE WANT TO GET IT OUT THERE AND TRY TO GET IN FRONT OF IT
AND TRY TO PROVIDE PEOPLE SO THAT WE CAN AT LEAST MITIGATE IF
NOT PREVENT ANY TRAGEDY IN LONGMEADOW.
>> SO CAPTAIN, WHAT ARE YOU SEEING IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
BECAUSE YOU ARE THE ONES WHO ARE GOING TO BE RESPONDING TO THE
CALLS?
>> WE'RE SEEING IN THE LAST THREE YEARS OR SO, A, A, CALL IT
A SLIGHT UPTICK IN THE RESPONSES THAT WE HAVE HAD, AND IN OPIOID
OVERDOSE, OR OPIOID ADDICTION.
IT'S BEING A SMALL BEDROOM COMMUNITY, AND YOU COULD LOOK AT
THIS SMALL UPTICK AS -- IT'S CONCERNING BECAUSE WE LOOK AT IT
AS, AS LIEUTENANT STOCK HAS SAID, OFTENTIMES IN THESE SMALL
COMMUNITIES, YOU GET -- IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TO US.
AND SO WE'RE SEEING THAT SLIGHT INCREASE, AND WE'RE TRYING TO
STAY AHEAD OF IT, AND I THINK THAT WE'RE DOING A GOOD JOB AT
THAT.
BUT, WE STILL NEED TO DO MORE.
>> WELL, PARTICULARLY, WITH TEENAGERS, I AM SURE THAT, YOU
KNOW, MOST PARENTS IN THE STATE WOULD BE WORRIED, THAT THEIR
KIDS COULD GO DOWN HAD ROAD, AND WHAT ARE YOU SEEING AT THE HIGH
SCHOOL LEVEL?
>> FORTUNATELY, I REACHED OUT TO MY SCHOOL OF RESOURCE OFFICE,
THE OFFERS ASSIGNED TO LONGMEADOW HIGH SCHOOL, AND
FORTUNATELY, WE ARE NOT SEEING SIGNS OF DRUG USE IN THE
SCHOOLS, ON THE CAMPUS.
BUT, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE KIDS ARE NOT USING ON THE
WEEKENDS, YOU KNOW, AND IN THEIR OFF TIME AT PARTIES.
YOU KNOW, THE HIGH SCHOOL AGE IS THE AGE THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT
TO GET TO BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE EXPERIMENTAL PHASE, AND
THEY, OFTEN, AT THESE PARTIES, ARE UNSUPERVISED.
SO, WHILE WE'RE CONCERNED WITH ALCOHOL USE, AND DRUG ABUSE,
WE'RE FINDING PRESCRIPTION PILLS, SEEM TO BE VERY
COMMONPLACE NOW.
DUE TO THE FACT THAT PRESCRIPTION PILLS ARE VERY
PREVALENT WITHIN SOCIETY NOW, SO THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO ADDRESS,
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ACCESS TO THE PRESCRIPTION
PILLS, ARE CONTAINED, AND MONITORED SO THAT THE HIGH
SCHOOLERS AND EVEN YOUNGER AT TIMES, DON'T TAKE SOME TO
EXPERIMENT OR, YOU KNOW, AND START GOING DOWN THAT RABBIT
HOLE, IF YOU WILL.
>> OK, AND WHAT ABOUT NARCAN?
I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE IT ON YOUR TRUCKS, AND YOU'VE BEEN USING
IT, BUT SOME PEOPLE, WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT, WERE REALLY
THINKING, LISTEN, THIS COULD ENABLE A KID TO SAY LOOK, YOU
KNOW, I CAN GET BAILED OUT, IF SOMETHING GOES SOUTH HERE.
>> RIGHT.
>> AND WE HAVE DEFINITELY HEARD THAT THAT COULD BE THE CASE.
BUT, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AS PUBLIC SAFETY PROFESSIONALS, IS
TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN GET TO A POINT WHERE THEY
CAN GET HELP.
>> RIGHT.
>> IF WE WERE NOT SPRIG NARCAN TO OUR OFFICERS AND
FIREFIGHTERS, AND EVEN IN YOU KNOW, NOW WE HAVE IT IN THE FIRE
DEPARTMENT, IN THE BUILDING, ITSELF, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO
WHEN THAT PERSON COMES IN, WHERE WE FIND THAT PERSON ON THE
STREET OVERDOSED AND SAY WELL, WE DON'T HAVE THAT PIECE OF
EQUIPMENT AS WE CALL IT TO BE ABLE TO HELP THEM.
WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO HELP THEM AND THEN GET THEM THE EDUCATION
FROM THAT POINT GOING FORWARD.
AND -- >> DO YOU THINK THAT PARENTS
SHOULD BE CARRYING IT?
>> IF THEY ARE FINDING SOME OF THE CLASSIC SIGNS, WITH
CHILDREN, BEING WITHDRAWN, CHANGES IN MOOD AND IN ATTITUDE,
AND CHANGES IN THE PEOPLE THAT THEY HANG OUT WITH, THEY NEED TO
BE COMFORTABLE IN TALKING TO THEIR CHILDREN, AND SAYING TO
THEM, I AM CONCERNED, I AM WORRIED.
START LOOKING AT THE SIGNS, AND THERE IS PLENTY OF RESOURCES
ONLINE TO FIND THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF A, A POTENTIAL DRUG
PROBLEM, AND, AND IF IT COMES TO A POINT WHERE THEY THINK THAT
THEY MIGHT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THEIR SON OR DAUGHTER, I DON'T
THINK THAT IT'S A, A BAD THING.
IT'S A PRETTY AVAILABLE MEDICATION NOW.
LET'S GET THEM TO THE POINT WHERE THEY CAN GET THE HELP THAT
THEY NEED, AND WE'RE INSTITUTING SOME OF THAT HELP GOING FORWARD
ON CALLS.
WE'RE GOING TO HAND OUT, IF WE GO TO THE OVERDOSE, WE'RE GOING
TO HAND OUT PAMPHLETS AND GIVING PARENTS IS, BROTHERS, SISTERS,
SOME RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT HELP THAT THEY NEED.
>> DO YOU THINK THAT MARIJUANA OR ALCOHOL IS A GATEWAY?
THERE IS A DEBATE ABOUT THIS.
MANY SAY OH, NO, POT IS NOT A GATEWAY DRUG, BUT DO YOU THINK
THAT THIS IS SORT OF THE START OR COULD BE THE START FOR KIDS
WHO ARE A BIT MORE OF A RISK-TAKER?
>> CAROLEE MCGRATH, I THINK YOU COULD DEVOTE A WEEK LONG TOPIC
ON THAT.
IT'S AN AGE OLD DEBATE.
I AM NOT A DRUG ADDICTION SPECIALIST.
I CAN SAY FROM MY EXPERIENCE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT MOST HEROIN
USERS HAVE UTILIZED MARIJUANA IN THE PAST.
IF YOU WANT TO DRAW THE CORRELATION, IT'S THERE.
BUT, THERE IS ALSO AN ARGUMENT OF CAUSATION.
SO, REALLY, I THINK, AS THE CAPTAIN HAS EXPLAINED IN THE
PAST, WE HAD A DISCUSSION ON THIS ON THE WAY DOWN.
IT ALL DEPENDS ON A PHILOSOPHY, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE IS, AS MANY
ARGUMENTS FOR THE ARGUMENT OF GATEWAY DRUGS AND AS THERE ARE
AGAINST IT.
AND I THINK THAT MANY PARENTS WHO ARE VERY STRINGENT IN
WATCHING THEIR CHILDREN WITH DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE OR USE,
AT AN UNDERAGE, OR A YOUNG AGE, IRONICALLY, SOMETIMES WE'RE
FINDING THEY ARE MISSING THE SIGNS OF PRESCRIPTION PILL
USAGE, WHICH IS AGAIN, WHY THE FORUM IS TAKING PLACE.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVEN THOSE PARENTS ARE DOING THE JOB
OF KEEPING AN EYE ON THEIR KID AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE
COMING HOME SOBER, AND MAKING, MAKING SURE THAT THERE IS NO
MARIJUANA USE.
AND THEY ARE FORGETTING THE OBVIOUS RIGHT IN THEIR MEDICINE
CABINET, AND THAT IS THE PAINKILLERS, SO IT'S KIND OF --
I AM GLAD YOU ASKED THAT BECAUSE IT IS THOSE PARENTS WHO ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT MAYBE CERTAIN THINGS, AND ARE MISSING THE
OTHERS.
SO, TO GET BACK TO YOUR QUESTION, AS FAR AS THE GATEWAY
DRUG, PERSONALLY, DO I THINK SO, ABSOLUTELY BUT I'M NOT AN
ADDICTION SPECIALIST AND I THINK THAT THERE IS SOME PEOPLE THAT
WOULD ARGUE ME.
>> WELL, CAPTAIN, AND LIEUTENANT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR COMING IN AND TALKING TO US ABOUT THIS.
THIS IS A BIG TOPIC, AND ALL TOWNS ARE NOW REALLY STARTING TO
ADDRESS THIS, AS THE STATE MOVES FORWARD WITH PLANS TO COMBAT IT,
AND THANK YOU FOR COMING IN.
>> THANK YOU.