Better drug education

To the Editor:

As I read the local paper recently I looked at the Grand Jury session report for July 10th. There were 25 indictments, 12 of these were for either Unlawful Trafficking of Scheduled Drugs, Aggravated Trafficking in Scheduled Drugs or Unlawful Possession of Scheduled Drugs. The ages of those indicted ranged from 20 to 39 years old.

These indictments and the constant court appearances for the same issues are a visible indicator of the explosion of drugs and crime that is overwhelming local law enforcement agencies. These people didn’t recently decide to involve themselves in the drug culture. I feel confident in saying they started at a younger age and the hold that drugs took on them is too overpowering to deal with alone. The effects of their addictions don’t just influence their lives but also the lives of their family and friends.

I sympathize with addiction as I have family members who have dealt with their own alcohol and drug dependencies. They worked hard with support of family and friends to get past what the addiction did to their lives and the lives of the people around them. They would tell anyone with an addiction, it is truly a day-to-day struggle.

When it comes to rehab for some people a 30-day stay is not long enough, sometimes 60, 90, 120 days or even 6 to 12 months can be needed. Recently a young man I had dealt with in the past came to see me after a 6-month rehab program in another state. I was so impressed on how better he looked from our last meeting and what an incredibly positive attitude he had about getting his situation on the right path. He said it was hard to be away from home, but it was the best way for him to get himself right. I am extremely proud of him and his accomplishment.

Individuals who are addicted to drugs such as heroin, meth, cocaine, prescription medications, or any other addictive drug typically cannot control their addiction and need to attend an inpatient drug rehab facility.

Aroostook County needs a larger and longer term rehab facility for those out there in crisis and education of our young people on the addictive nature of the drugs in our community’s needs to take place sooner, not later.

Chief Mahan

Limestone Police Dept.