Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said authorities know there’s heroin in New Canaan, though it isn’t clear just how widespread abuse of the opioid is.
One priority of the New Canaan Police Department in 2016 is to reduce the availability of narcotics (and alcohol, to underage people) in town, and that effort will come through enforcement as well as education, according to the chief.
“We know for certain that multiple people that grew up here, were educated here and have moved to other places have overdosed on heroin and died in the past couple of years,” Krolikowski said. “So that is our focus and our big concern.”
As it is for the entire community.
Next week, a venerable nonprofit organization is taking the lead to open up the often touchy subject of opioid use and abuse to the wider community.
The League of Women Voters of New Canaan has organized “Athlete, Merit Scholar, Suburban Junkie: Protecting our Kids from the Opioid Epidemic”—a panel discussion to be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at Town Hall.
To be moderated by Judy Dunn of New Canaan Health and Human Services, the panel will feature Krolikowski, Dr. John Douglas, clinical director of Silver Hill Hospital’s Outpatient Addiction Program, NCPD High School Student Resource Officer Jason Kim, two local youths in recovery and addiction counselor Vince Benevento.
The panel will offer “straight talk on root causes of abuse and strategies for prevention, signs and symptoms of trouble, and treatment options for these especially challenging addictions,” according to the league.
It’s especially important to get real information on a topic that often remains taboo despite its danger and prevalence in the community, said league members Miki Porta and Gaby Beecher, both parents of children in New Canaan Public Schools.
Beecher called the notion of heroin made available to those kids “absolutely horrifying” and said the mindset of many local parents is that the drug doesn’t fit what they associate with New Canaan.
Asked how widely or openly the problem of opioid use and abuse is discussed in parents’ circles, Beecher said: “Not at all.”
Porta went further, saying, “Not only is heroin not discussed, or abuse of pharmaceuticals and painkillers discussed, I think we do not own to what extent we model other behaviors for our kids, like cocktail hour.”
“Abuse of other drugs that have been around for longer,” she continued. “So we are not discussing heroin or opioids at all, and we also are not discussing booze or pot.”
The panel is part of a larger year-long effort supported by multiple groups, including police, the schools, human services organizations and municipal bodies.
Experts say that heroin abuse among New Canaan youth often starts with painkillers that they find in their parents’ medicine cabinets. (There is a prescription drug drop-off box inside the lobby at NCPD.)
Jacqueline D’Louhy, youth and family services coordinator with the New Canaan Department of Human Services, said one important focus when it comes to the start of opioid use is sports injuries or in treating people who have their wisdom teeth out.
“People are not taking it seriously to lock painkillers up, and kids get their hands on them,” D’Louhy said.
“I think that we really want to educate people on the dangers that it could be their kid and that they need to get their kids help as soon as they can. Addiction is one of the hardest things to combat in your life.”
Our family would love to be able to attend, however, NCHS mid term exams start the next day. Hope there will be another presentation in the future.