Based on their yearly report on violence and vandalism, the Freehold Regional High School reported increases in substance abuse, especially Marijuana and Prescription Drugs. The marijuana is no surprise as this drug has found a major market in our school systems for many years. What is not surprising but nonetheless even more disgusting, the youth using more and more prescription drugs, obviously non-medically.

It seems that Ritalin, Oxycontin, Zanax, Percocet or many other ?controlled Substances? are not quite as controlled as we would hope they would be. When legally manufactured drugs from the pharmaceutical industry begin to exceed many of the previously predominate illegal drugs on our school campuses, we should critically examine what the phrase ?controlled substance? really means.

As controlled substances, these drugs are supposed to be very stringently monitored from the manufacturing process all the way through their distribution cycle to the pharmacy and ultimately to the end user via a doctor's prescription. Somewhere along the way these drugs are being intentionally diverted from normal pharmacy distribution lines to the illegal ?black market? where they can be sold for many times their usual per each cost. This means these ?controlled substances are delivering a much higher profit margin than if they were sold through normal distribution.

As an easy example of this inflated profit, Oxycontin, a very powerful opiate based drug sells for 3 to 4 times its usual pharmacy costs when sold on the black market through drug trafficking channels. This of course is the price our children are paying for some of the strongest pain relievers every created. And, evidently, they are paying in ever increasing numbers.

These children should not know about or have any need for the strongest pain relievers every created unless they were in a hospital. But they are not. They are in school. They are supposed to be learning. Instead they are experimenting with and becoming addicted to these horrifically addictive drugs that will potentially enslave them to be life long addicts who need to purchase these drugs at what ever price for an indefinite period representing huge profits for whomever sells these ?controlled substances?.

I think we can say at a minimum that the ?control? is either out of control or the control being exerted is definitely in the wrong direction. We need real solutions to prevent these drugs from hitting the streets, especially in the huge quantities which are available today. With these kind of holes in our ?substance control? we need an entire reorganization of those entities who should be watching over this activity. After all, it is our children and ultimately our nation that is paying the biggest price and that is of course the misery of addiction.
If you or someone you know is struggling with and addiction to drugs or alcohol please seek help immediately.

Derry Hallmark, B.D.A.E., C.A.D.C., C.C.D.C., C.I.S.