DA Ryan Attends Holliston Drug Meeting

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan joined State Rep. Carolyn Dykema and others Monday in Holliston for an important program for parents on substance abuse.

“Suburban Teens and Drugs,” a community forum, also featured Kathy Pierce; Holliston Police Chief John Moore; Holliston Detective Chuck Todd; and Bill Phillips, founder and president of New Beginnings Adolescent Substance Abuse Program.

District Attorney Ryan highlighted the widespread scope of the substance abuse epidemic.  Middlesex County first responders have seen a frightening increase in fatal overdoses so far this year. In 2014 to date, in Middlesex County there have been 80 deaths due to a drug overdose, which matches the total number of fatal overdoses in the county in all of 2013. 

At Monday’s forum, District Attorney Ryan urged parents to communicate with their children and to look for signs of drug abuse.

“It is so important that we come together as a community to fight this epidemic,” District Attorney Ryan said.  “Heroin abuse is public health and public safety crisis that is affecting every community in Middlesex County.  In addition to investigating and prosecuting those individuals who are profiting from bringing illegal drugs into our communities, we are working across Middlesex County to educate our youth, increase the availability of effective drug treatment, and expand the use of Nasal Naloxone for police and fire officials so we can save lives.”

Pierce shared her personal story of her son’s battle with addiction.  She described her son as a twenty-three year old academically and athletically outstanding young man who kept his addiction hidden from his family.  It wasn’t until her son stole items from the home to support his habit that Pierce learned her son had an addiction.  She urged all parents to watch for the signs of abuse, and spoke of the challenges and the need for readily available and affordable treatment options.

Representative Dykema brought together this forum to recognize the seriousness of the substance abuse epidemic, including opioids and marijuana, in the Metro West region.  

“There are some very dangerous and deadly drugs on the streets, even in Holliston,” the Representative stated. “The consequences for drug abuse are high and the best solution is prevention. This program provided an opportunity to start a dialogue in our community regarding this important issue and I hope to continue this conversation going forward.”

 Holliston Police Chief John Moore and Detective Charles Todd echoed this concern. Detective Todd emphasized the violence attached to the drug trade including drug deals that have “gone bad” and resulted in serious physical injury. He reinforced Kathy Pierce’s caution about articles missing from homes and agreed that it can be a signal that drug use is occurring even if everything else appears to be normal. 

As a substance treatment expert, Bill Phillips agreed that open communication is essential but warned the community members that substance users may lie and deny their drug use. He offered to be a resource for drug treatment options in the Metro West area.

In addition to speaking at community events, District Attorney Ryan is leading several initiatives to address substance abuse.  In April, District Attorney Ryan hosted “Another Chance: Reversing the Effects of Opiate Overdoses” a train-the-trainer initiative offered to first responders in all Middlesex County communities.  Participants learned how to administer Nasal Naloxone, an opioid reversal drug that can save the life of a person suffering the effects of a drug overdose. 

District Attorney Ryan has also provided drug collection boxes for 36 communities as part of the Middlesex Drug Take Back program.  The drug collection units provide free and safe disposal for unwanted prescription or over-the-counter medication.  District Attorney Ryanurges the public to regularly clean out their medicine cabinets to discard unused or expired medication.   Teen substance abuse often begins by taking from a parent or grandparent’s medicine cabinet.

District Attorney Ryan formed the Lowell Opiate Task Force, a collaborative effort to address substance abuse in the Greater Lowell region.  The task force is currently leading efforts to bring a Drug Court to the Lowell District Court, increase detox and treatment options, and create new prevention and intervention efforts.

Middlesex County is the largest county in Massachusetts and one of the largest counties in the country with 54 cities and towns and 26 colleges in urban, suburban, and rural areas, comprising over one quarter of the population of Massachusetts.  The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has offices throughout the county, including in Ayer, Cambridge, Concord, Framingham, Lowell, Malden, Marlborough, Newton, Somerville, Waltham and Woburn.