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OHIO DRUG PROBLEM WIDESPREAD
Arrest locations for drug violations in Marietta, Ohio from July 2002 to July 2003 illustrate local drug activity is community-wide and not specific to any one area in Ohio.
"Drugs are everywhere," said Marietta, Ohio Police Captain Jeff Waite. "You can't limit drug activity to one location or one area because drug use reaches across all socioeconomic boundaries. It can affect anyone." One area of concern for many community members is Harmar, Ohio. It was the site of a July 21 drug-related shooting that injured four people.
No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. Although Harmar, Ohio residents say there is a serious drug problem in the neighborhood, only eight drug related arrests have been made there since last July.
"I don't think anyone knows the real extent of the drug problem in Ohio," said Harmar hill resident Bill Bellville, 50. "I wish we could say drugs were specific to Harmar, Ohio, but they are in every neighborhood - whether the arrests show it or not."
Local officials are discussing the formation of a county-wide drug task force, but progress on the issue has been slow. It came about after state-commissioned studies indicated the use of heroin and other opiates has increased tenfold in Washington County over the past few years. The Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network reported 52 non-fatal overdoses related to heroin, other opiates and sedatives in Washington County from May to August of 2002, 15 of which occurred in a two-week period.
The number of people who died as a result of drug-related overdoses totaled 13 in the county for last year.
"I don't think there is any question that there is a drug problem in this community," said Charlie Hasse, director of Behavioral Health Services at the Center for Chemical Dependency at Marietta, Ohio Memorial Hospital. "In the past year a lot of good prevention campaigns took place ... but it usually takes two to three years before we begin to see if those efforts are paying off."
Hasse said the number of heroin-related cases at the center seems to be lower this year to date. He said the percentage of admissions for 21- to 24-year-olds seeking detoxification for drug and substance abuse at the hospital nearly doubled in 2002.
"Prevention is the key," Hasse said. "As a community we need to work harder to provide drug-free activities to youths. We need to create opportunities where kids can succeed. And parent involvement is paramount."
Waite said communication is a key to fighting the community's drug problem.
"Our officers relay what they see to our detectives," he said. "From there our detectives begin an investigation.
Gilman Street residents Ben and Terrie Bain said they have their suspicions of some people in their neighborhood; however, the couple is reluctant to contact law enforcement."We suspect there are drugs being passed around," said Ben Bain, 72. "We've never had any problems and don't want to cause problems with a neighbor just because we're a little suspicious."
Waite said notifying law enforcement of suspicious activity is exactly what people need to do if they want it to stop.
"That's the first step," Waite said. "If we don't know about it, we can't do anything about it. Communication is essential."
In all, 97 drug-related arrests were made inside the city limits in the past year. Waite said the number of arrests is lower than in past years.
"We had an officer out for 16 weeks for training with our new canine," Waite said. "During patrols we recover a lot of drugs through canine searches, so it hurt when they were out."
Canine searches account for a large percentage of arrests ranging from possession of paraphernalia to felony-level drug trafficking, Waite said.
One area of concentrated drug activity in Marietta, Ohio is in the 100 block of Greene and Front streets, with 11 offenses reported."There's a lot of activity around the bars in that area," Waite said. "A lot of times we'll be called there for a disturbance, make an arrest and find drugs."
Hasse said parents need to recognize changes in their children's behavior and pay attention to with whom they associate.
Waite agrees it will take more than law enforcement to control drug activity in the community.
"It is going to take education, parenting and society in general to refuse to tolerate drugs in our community before things are going to get any better."
Arrest locations for drug violations in Marietta, Ohio from July 2002 to July 2003 illustrate local drug activity is community-wide and not specific to any one area in Ohio.
"Drugs are everywhere," said Marietta, Ohio Police Captain Jeff Waite. "You can't limit drug activity to one location or one area because drug use reaches across all socioeconomic boundaries. It can affect anyone." One area of concern for many community members is Harmar, Ohio. It was the site of a July 21 drug-related shooting that injured four people.
No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. Although Harmar, Ohio residents say there is a serious drug problem in the neighborhood, only eight drug related arrests have been made there since last July.
"I don't think anyone knows the real extent of the drug problem in Ohio," said Harmar hill resident Bill Bellville, 50. "I wish we could say drugs were specific to Harmar, Ohio, but they are in every neighborhood - whether the arrests show it or not."
Local officials are discussing the formation of a county-wide drug task force, but progress on the issue has been slow. It came about after state-commissioned studies indicated the use of heroin and other opiates has increased tenfold in Washington County over the past few years. The Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network reported 52 non-fatal overdoses related to heroin, other opiates and sedatives in Washington County from May to August of 2002, 15 of which occurred in a two-week period.
The number of people who died as a result of drug-related overdoses totaled 13 in the county for last year.
"I don't think there is any question that there is a drug problem in this community," said Charlie Hasse, director of Behavioral Health Services at the Center for Chemical Dependency at Marietta, Ohio Memorial Hospital. "In the past year a lot of good prevention campaigns took place ... but it usually takes two to three years before we begin to see if those efforts are paying off."
Hasse said the number of heroin-related cases at the center seems to be lower this year to date. He said the percentage of admissions for 21- to 24-year-olds seeking detoxification for drug and substance abuse at the hospital nearly doubled in 2002.
"Prevention is the key," Hasse said. "As a community we need to work harder to provide drug-free activities to youths. We need to create opportunities where kids can succeed. And parent involvement is paramount."
Waite said communication is a key to fighting the community's drug problem.
"Our officers relay what they see to our detectives," he said. "From there our detectives begin an investigation.
Gilman Street residents Ben and Terrie Bain said they have their suspicions of some people in their neighborhood; however, the couple is reluctant to contact law enforcement."We suspect there are drugs being passed around," said Ben Bain, 72. "We've never had any problems and don't want to cause problems with a neighbor just because we're a little suspicious."
Waite said notifying law enforcement of suspicious activity is exactly what people need to do if they want it to stop.
"That's the first step," Waite said. "If we don't know about it, we can't do anything about it. Communication is essential."
In all, 97 drug-related arrests were made inside the city limits in the past year. Waite said the number of arrests is lower than in past years.
"We had an officer out for 16 weeks for training with our new canine," Waite said. "During patrols we recover a lot of drugs through canine searches, so it hurt when they were out."
Canine searches account for a large percentage of arrests ranging from possession of paraphernalia to felony-level drug trafficking, Waite said.
One area of concentrated drug activity in Marietta, Ohio is in the 100 block of Greene and Front streets, with 11 offenses reported."There's a lot of activity around the bars in that area," Waite said. "A lot of times we'll be called there for a disturbance, make an arrest and find drugs."
Hasse said parents need to recognize changes in their children's behavior and pay attention to with whom they associate.
Waite agrees it will take more than law enforcement to control drug activity in the community.
"It is going to take education, parenting and society in general to refuse to tolerate drugs in our community before things are going to get any better."
