Northport Leaders Join Forces With Youths to Combat Drug Abuse

Teachers, community leaders, elected officials and the Northport Police Department came together Friday to discuss how to solve the local and national drug abuse problem.

The rate of drug offences in Northport has gone up nearly 97 percent in recent years and this community isn’t alone on the fight against drug addiction.

“We’re facing a national epidemic in opiate overdoses,” said Suffolk County Police Department’s medical director Scott S. Coyne. “Young people are dying at an alarming rate.”

Young people are using heroin more and more for two reasons: it’s cheap and people now know heroin doesn’t have to be injected (it can also be ingested and snorted.)

Northport Police have increased their fight on drug abuse by arresting more people possessing and selling drugs as well as partnering with school groups like Students Against Destructive Decisions at Northport High School. “We hope to educate the students and parents on the abuse of drugs,” Northport Police Chief William Ricca said.

• Ricca discusses how the Northport Police Department is fighting the recent uptick in drug abuse.

Connecting with students is how the community can best fight the opiate problem, according to Legislator Dr. William Spencer. “It’s about reaching young people on their level,” he said.

That’s why leaders in the community teamed up with the SADD program to present Recovery, Awareness and Prevention Week.

Leading the SADD program is Darryl St. George. In addition to advising 50 students in SADD, St. George is a war veteran and current history teacher at Northport High School.

• Outside Village Hall, St. George spoke about how the nationwide drug epidemic has impacted his life.

While in Afghanistan, he learned the country produced over 90 percent of the world’s heroin. The cause hit home to him once his brother began using. His brother later died from legal prescription medications that were used to help him get off of heroin.

“In experiencing it firsthand, I felt that something needed to be done,” St. George said. He joined the high school’s SADD program as an advisor alongside fellow advisor Tammy Walsh.

Through SADD, young people are learning about the dangerous effects of opioid use.

The program dedicated all of last week to alcohol and drug prevention and awareness.

Recovery, Awareness and Prevention Week provided Narcan training for the community through the Suffolk County Police Department. About 50 residents, mostly young people, learned how to administer Narcan, a life-saving opioid overdose antidote.

• Northport has already had seven documented saves from nasal Narcan over the past few years, Coyne reports.

The community then held an aggressive drug take-back campaign last week at the Northport Library where over 40 pounds of drugs were taken off the streets.

Additionally, all students in the Northport-East Northport School District participated in activities to help educate and raise awareness about the drug epidemic. Speakers shared their stories of addition with students.

• Northport is doing the best they can to combat the heroin and drug problem in the community, said Damon McMullen, Village Board Trustee and Northport Police Commissioner.

• Connecting with students is how the community can best fight the opiate problem, according to Legislator Dr. William Spencer.

SADD teamed up with the Northport-East Northport Drug and Alcohol Task Force, Legislator Doc Spencer’s office, the Northport Police Department, and the Suffolk County Police Department’s 2nd Precinct to present this week-long initiative.

These community figures look to planning more initiatives in the future.