By Jennifer Ortiz
Staff Writer
HOWELL – The Howell Police Department, local organizations and community members are uniting to bring awareness to the increase in methamphetamine (meth) and crack cocaine use in the area.
Howell Police Lt. Thomas Rizzo said many individuals are abusing the drugs.
Daniel Regan, the director of the Coming Full Circle (CFC) Loud N Clear Foundation, said, “Heroin is bad enough, but with meth, criminal activity will surely increase due to the effects meth has on its users, who exhibit erratic behavior.”
Rizzo said the difference is in the high a person gets from using the drug.
“A meth user’s high often causes them to act erratically, not sleep for long periods of time, experience unusual strength, hypertension, high energy, etc. Meth users, while high, can be violent or extremely aggressive, compared to opiate users who often appear sedated when they are high,” he said.
Regan said it is a scary reality that methamphetamine use has claimed a foothold in Howell.
Rizzo is asking members of the public and parents to be alert and aware to the growing popularity of the drug.
“Parents and family members should be observant of changes in an individual’s appearance and behavior, such as weight loss, unexplained mood swings, skin deterioration and abnormal sleep patterns or a lack of sleep,” he said.
In Howell, the Boxman family will hold a “Prevention Starts with Awareness: A Day of Awareness” event on July 17.
Abby and Jon Boxman lost their son, Justin, 21, to a drug overdose on July 13, 2011. The couple said they wanted to do something special to remember the caring, loving, loyal and charming young man their son was.
Through their loss, Abby and Jon decided to become advocates against the heroin epidemic. They said drug addiction can happen in any family.
The “Prevention Starts with Awareness: A Day of Awareness” event will take place from 1-4 p.m. July 17 at the North Howell Little League complex, Okerson Road, Howell. Activities will include a home run derby for boys and girls ages 9 to 14.
Food, drinks, live music and information about the opioid prescription drug and heroin epidemic will be available. Information will be provided by prevention, education and awareness organizations. Admission is $10 per person or $25 per family. Proceeds will support prevention, recovery and grief therapy efforts in the community.
For more information, visit www.dayofawareness.com or call 908-692-3072. For more information about the Boxmans’ journey, visit www.justinthebox.org.
The CFC Loud N Clear Foundation will hold its third annual “Rock the Farm Music and Food Truck Festival” from 1-10 p.m. Aug. 27 at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft.
Ashley Regan, the foundation’s creative director and event manager, said the event is important because “it proves to those still struggling that there is hope, there is another way to live, and recovery is possible.”
Regan said the festival sheds light on the fact that addiction affects a family and not just the person who is abusing drugs.
“We focus on healing those relationships. People in recovery need to know their community supports them so they are able to stand in their truth and be proud of their new rebuilt lives,” she said.
Regan said appropriate inpatient treatment is crucial to the success of a person’s recovery in finding the underlying causes of addiction.
“CFC Loud N Clear Foundation believes the real work begins when a person returns home and must focus on rebuilding their life and fixing the broken relationships with loved ones. They need to be reintegrated into society and find an entire new network,” she said.
The “Rock the Farm Music and Food Truck Festival” will feature entertainment, food trucks, craft vendors, a petting zoo, arts and crafts, Zumba and more. Individuals of all ages are welcome to attend.
“CFC Loud N Clear Foundation fills the gap in the treatment system by providing a comprehensive relapse prevention program filled with life skills workshops, employment opportunities, educational scholarships, meditation and holistic approaches … and more,” Regan said.
For more information visit www.healingus.org or www.rockthefarmnj.com.
Rizzo said the Howell Police Department stands ready to assist people who need help.
“Often times we refer addicts to different treatment options … In addition to that, we have helped to mend family barriers and to mediate different conflicts to help resolve a variety of problems some addicts may have. These problems include lack of housing, employment issues, relationship issues … We have clearly differentiated those who are in true need of help from those who have decided to financially flourish off of others’ addictions,” Rizzo said.
He said police have no tolerance for individuals who deal drugs in Howell.
“Those who used to travel to our town for the sole purpose of selling narcotics now have a fear of doing so. When we cannot identify or apprehend offenders in our town, we use our intelligence gathering (abilities) to identify and apprehend them out of our town by establishing a network of cooperation with other agencies. This network we have established has allowed us to enjoy enhanced intelligence, successful investigations and significant seizures,” Rizzo said.
“We have also heard the cries of the families of addicts referring to the locations that are commonly supplying these drugs to our residents and have sought out the necessary inter-agency components to also address those target areas,” the lieutenant said. “Although narcotics will continue to exist, we hope our residents realize they have our vigilance and whole-hearted commitment to doing all we can to combat this plague.”