Drug use by young raises flag

Alarmed by evidence of a proliferation of street drugs, Billerica police are urging residents to help curb overdoses from OxyContin and heroin among the town's teenagers and young adults.

The problem was illuminated in December with the arrest of a young man and woman in the parking area of a Boston Road fast-food restaurant. They were charged with possession of heroin. According to police, drug deals are occurring near convenience stores and fast-food restaurants all over this region.

''We've seen a dramatic increase in OxyContin abuse," said Police Chief Daniel C. Rosa Jr. ''We're starting to see heroin use in the town, and it's having a devastating effect on young people. We think we need to step up awareness, especially among parents."

Rosa is calling for volunteers to serve on an 11-member Substance Abuse Committee, which he hopes to set up this month. The group will bring attention to the problem, he said, educate parents about the rampant availability of drugs in high schools and suburban streets, and track their use.

A grant of $5,250 awarded through the town's 2005 Community Fund will serve as seed money for a series of April workshops aimed at teachers, parents, and high school students, said Rosa. Police also are seeking grants to fund the educational goals.

There were at least 19 drug overdoses in Billerica last year, according to police, and 19 in 2004. Overdoses, some of which are fatal, occur when a drug suppresses one or more of the body's systems, requiring medical intervention.

The statistics, however, don't indicate the breadth of the problem.

Through drug users and others connected with the drug trade, Billerica detectives know about local drug activity, according to Sergeant Roy Frost, who heads the Police Department's Criminal Investigations Bureau.

''It's a vast network of people," he said.

''The information we have is that it's pretty prolific," Frost said of drug use among high school-age residents. ''We have drug dealers from Lowell and Lawrence who identify people in Billerica to sell drugs."

At the Habit Management methadone program in Lowell and Lawrence, the medical director, Wayne Pasanen, said he sees a cross-section of people, including housewives, college students, businessmen, nurses, lawyers, and star high school athletes from surrounding communities.

At the emergency room of Lowell General Hospital, where Pasanen spends part of his week, he sees another side of the problem.

''There's not a day in my life as an emergency room physician that I don't have people come in seeking treatment for their addiction, having medical consequences, or overdosing. It's a widespread problem," said Pasanen, who is also medical director of Lowell General Hospital and was the hospital's chief of emergency medicine for 30 years.

The biggest cause of concern these days involves a class of drugs called opioids, which deliver temporary euphoria but lead quickly todependency. The cravings lead users to self-medicate when the drug's effect wears off, said Pasanen.

Some young adults begin a drug habit by trying OxyContin or Ecstasy, said Frost. OxyContin is a prescription drug created to be a strong pain reliever similar to morphine, while Ecstasy is an illegal laboratory concoction designed to stimulate the brain. Because the two drugs are expensive, Frost said, users eventually switch to much cheaper heroin.

Frost said an 80-milligram OxyContin pill, which lasts two to six hours, typically sells for $50 to $80. An Ecstasy tablet, which can last up to 12 hours, costs $20 to $40. White or brown heroin, readily available in northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, goes for $4 to $10 a bag, with the rush lasting four to six hours.

The drug is so pure that many people snort it, avoiding the stigma of having to inject a needle, he said. But eventually, some users, like the couple involved in the Dec. 4 arrest, begin intravenous use as the rush becomes harder to achieve.

Young people usually begin a drug habit in the company of peers, sometimes at an all-night dance party or social gathering, said Frost. But because parents don't know the dangers, they are not educating their teenagers.

The regional scope of the problem was illustrated by the October arrest of an orthopedic surgeon in Melrose. He is serving time in the Billerica House of Correction for distribution of OxyContin and possession of other drugs. It was information given to Billerica police that led to the sting operation that caught the physician.

In the December arrest in Billerica, Detective Bill West observed two young men and two young women sitting inside a Toyota Celica, with a Chevrolet Monte Carlo beside it. The four were about to inject heroin using one needle, according to West's report.

The two who were arrested were a 19-year-old woman and a young man who has since turned 19, Frost said. With them were two 17-year-old Billerica High School students, one male and one female, who were not charged.

Timothy Piwowar, the Billerica school district's curriculum coordinator for math, science, and health, said a 13-member council of teachers and administrators meets monthly to oversee health topics for the schools.

Substance-abuse awareness is taught to eighth- and ninth-graders, said Piwowar, who heads the council. Older students considered to be at risk receive individual counseling and attend a small discussion group.

''If we had more resources, we could be more effective," said Piwowar, adding, ''Our teachers do everything they can to stay informed, to look for signs of drug abuse and addiction."

Speaking of the drug problem in general, Pasanen said, ''It's not that every kid is using and is addicted. But it does mean we have to reassess parental supervision and responsibility."

Frost has sent a similar message to parents.

''You as a parent have everything to do with your kid's sobriety," he said.

''I think it's a problem. That's why the chief went to Town Meeting to get approval to begin a Substance Abuse Committee. This is why I'm applying for funds to educate."

To apply to serve on the Substance Abuse Committee, call the selectmen's office at 978-671-0939.

Joyce Pellino Crane can be reached at crane@globe.com.