Being from Miami, I have seen firsthand many people struggling with addiction and substance abuse problems. As a part-time Edgartown resident, I often hear how the Island has a real problem with opiates, specifically heroin. Both places seem to be unable to rid the community of substance use disorder.

I see that you have recently published Forum Focuses on Addiction Prevention, Removing Stigma on Feb. 7 regarding this problem, so I will offer my opinion on a course of action based on experiences I have had. My high school had numerous people come and talk to us about drugs during school hours. Whether we wanted to or not, we had to attend these sessions. The repetition of these talks is important because the negative effects these substances could have on us were always in the back of our minds. The speakers never explicitly told us not to do drugs, but their delivery was effective. They scared us by nonchalantly throwing out facts, like “the average heroin user dies by 35” and so on. The terrified looks on my classmates ensured the word was getting through to them.

I know from reading the article that there are conflicting ideas on how fast to approach this problem and with what intensity, but I feel that there should be a definite resolution on how to go about fixing the Island’s most pressing health issue. I suggest that there be mandatory information sessions on substance abuse during school hours so that every student can learn about what they could be doing to themselves. After the session, students could break up into small groups and discuss what they thought about it and give feedback to teachers. I know that the recent talk, which was at night, brought in about 75 people. Using an assembly period during a school day to gather all the students will inevitably force them to seriously think about the consequences of drugs. To delay a plan of attack will result in further addiction. It pains me and my family to see people going through this. A firm, effective plan will produce results, addiction will diminish, and those affected can go about enjoying all the things the Island has to offer throughout all the seasons.

I speak on this subject mainly because I am a person who sees the community of an Island he loves struggling with a problem that is not just unique to them. We should look out for each other because it is the right thing to do as a community. When friends, family members, neighbors, teachers and mayors all work toward the same goal, change will come sooner than we expect.

Sean Robertson
Miami, Fla. and Edgartown