Oxycontin News Blog

Hillsboro selectman is trying to tackle the town's drug problems, and local officials say they hope his plans will have an impact.

Paul Haley, the new chairman of the selectmen, is forming a committee that will include a local school official, police officer, medical professional, business representative and others. He hopes to gather information to identify the town's drug problems and develop an education program for both children and adults.

"Drugs are a problem in this town, and it's not just kids," Haley said. "People are alarmed, and the sad fact is that there's more evidence that DARE programs are not working."

Haley, a criminal and immigration lawyer, said he came up with the idea during a run for county attorney. He was interested in stopping the flow of drugs into Manchester but soon realized that the problem had reached his hometown of Hillsboro. In the last year and a half, he said, five of his clients died from drug overdoses - from teenagers to people in their 30s. Several clients have either used or dealt drugs, he said, and about half of his cases are drug-related.

"It's really sad that people have become desensitized and not outraged that there's a drug problem in town," said Terry Cutter, a Hillsboro parent who has been working with Haley to start the committee. "I hope people get outraged and want to get rid of the problem. We need to do something."

Those involved say drug use in Hillsboro is no worse than in other small towns. But compared with statewide figures, Hillsboro ranks high in several categories, said Peter Brigham, director of the town's office of youth services. According to a 2005 survey of youth risk behavior at Hillsboro-Deering High School, students took part in certain types of risky behavior at about double the rate of the state average, including smoking marijuana before age 13, smoking a cigarette before age 13 and using inhalants.

Hillsboro-Deering Superintendent Barbara Baker said while there is minimal drug use in school, the problems emerge on weekends and evenings.

"Unfortunately in this community, there's very little going on to engage students in wholesome activities outside of school, and I think that's where kids get in trouble," she said.

Baker said the school will be part of the committee, but she is glad Haley realizes it is not only the school's responsibility.

The organizers all said they recognize the problem is larger than just high school students. Brigham said he sees substance abuse by kids and their parents. "A lot of what I see is kids with parents who have substance abuse problems, and when kids don't get the attention they need, they're going to find a place to be connected other than their parents," he said. "There's plenty of support for kids who want to use drugs and alcohol. Most of their close friends are also doing drugs or alcohol."

Brigham has tried to keep a teen center open in Hillsboro to provide a safe place for students after school. But he noted that the community is not overly supportive of sports or other programs.

"We don't have resources, programs. We plain don't have the money," he said.

Police Chief Brian Brown said one of the largest problems he has seen in Hillsboro is the misuse of prescription drugs, such as Oxycontin.

"There's a tremendous amount of medication out there that can be easily sold for a marketable profit," Brown said.

Last summer, the Hillsboro police dealt with two fatalities because of drug overdoses, Brown said. But he said the department does not have the manpower or resources to actively focus on the drug problem.

Joseph Harding, director of the office of alcohol and drug policy at the state Department of Health and Human Services, said the state offers grants that can help local communities.

"Ultimately, we need to address these issues at the local community level," he said. "Issues in Hillsboro might be quite different than issues in Concord or Merrimack."

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