Small city's opioid addiction task force serves as case study for a proactive approach to drug addiction.In a small city approximately 125 kilimetres northeast of Toronto in Sourthern Ontario, a drug task force has been created to tackle
opioid addiction.
In May of 2009, the city of Peterborough, Ont., created a drug task force, partnering the Peterborough County-City Health Unit and members of the city police force, after police noticed that opioids were rapidly becoming a problem, replacing even crack-cocaine as the city’s drug of choice.
The primary goal of the task force is to address
drug addiction at the root, concentrating on prevention over prohibition. Working with schools and students, the task force is looking to stop drug use before addiction sets in.
Previously teenagers who were caught with marijuana or prescription painkillers would simply be warned and have the drugs confiscated. Now, Peterborough police have become proactive, instituting instead a referral system whereby police refer caught teens to community agencies that offer drug counselling.
They are then monitored on an on-going basis to see if they are charged or caught with drugs again.
The task force sees drug counseling as a chance to get to the root of addiction problems before it begins, addressing why these teens are using drugs to begin with.
The previous warning system, conversely, had no means of attending to the why, simply the what.
Peterborough’s OxyContin task force is also looking to end drug trafficking in schools with a focus on building strong relationships with both teachers and students, instead of filling hallways with uniformed officers.
All in all, this small city is an interesting case study on a proactive approach to drug addiction that appears to yield results. The task force focuses on building relationships and networks within the community, looking to also include the medical community including both physicians and dentists to address the source of these prescription medications.
The vast majority of teens find their drugs in their own medicine cabinets.
Many local pharmacists in Peterborough are now passing the message along, encouraging parents to keep track of and secure their prescription medications.
Opioids are a class of drugs that include such prescription painkillers as OxyContin and Percocet, as well as heroin.
Source: The Peterborough Examiner
