Detective Thomas Foye said the drug problem in Ludlow is the worst he has seen in the 25 years he has been with the police department.
LUDLOW — Parents, grandparents, students and educators jammed the Ludlow High School auditorium Tuesday night to hear what they could do to combat a growing problem with illegal use of prescription pain killers.
Detective Sgt. Thomas Foye said that the abuse of prescription pain killers is becoming a suburban epidemic.
In 2010 there were 23 drug arrests by the police department, Foye said. He said that in 2011 the number had risen to 39, a 70 percent increase. The police department is on target to exceed that number in 2012, he said.
Drug addiction leads to an increasing number of house breaks, Foye said. He said that during the month of February there were 15 house breaks in town.
“Ninety-nine percent of house breaks are drug related,” Foye said.
He said the drug problem in Ludlow is the worst he has seen in the 25 years he has been working for the police department.
A lot of parents are in denial that their children use drugs, Foye said. Family members who think a child has a drug problem should beware of a change in a student’s behavior and friends and a neglected appearance.
Parents need to be vigilant around their children to protect them, he said.
District Attorney Mark Mastroianni, who participated in the forum said there is only one way for a drug addict to end up if he does not deal with his addiction — either in jail or dead.
Drug addicts become the world’s best liars, he said, and will rob from family members to get their next fix.
Interim Superintendent Donna Hogan said that parents should not buy alcohol for teen parties and justify it by saying they will take the teens’ keys.
Parents can be jailed and sued for providing alcohol to teens, Mastroianni said.
Hogan suggested that parents in town do what parents in some other communities have done — take a pledge and sign a contract which is published in a book for other families — to have only parties at their homes that are supervised and at which no alcohol is served.
Selectman William Rooney, who helped coordinate the forum, said the drug problem will get worse if parents remain in denial about it.
Rooney said he was very proud that so many community members came out to the forum to take a first step in increasing awareness about the town’s drug and alcohol problem.