Shore Regional High School District 132 Monmouth Park Highway West - PDF document

Shore Regional High School District 132 Monmouth Park Highway West Long Branch, New Jersey 07764 (732).222.9300 or (732).229.8279 – Fax www.shoreregional.org PRESS RELEASE Parents Urged to Talk to their Children as Heroin Deaths Spike in New Jersey West Long Branch – January 2014 — Talking to your kids about the dangers of heroin is the theme of a public service campaign by the Monmouth County Prosecutor ’ s Office when acting Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni appears at Shore Regional High School at 7 p.m. on January 27 for a no- holds-barred discussion about the heroin epidemic and dangers of opiates use and abuse. “We can no longer remain silent on this deadly issue. We cannot turn a blind eye to the possibility our kids may be using drugs. We can’t push this away with the excuse that ‘my kid could never get involved with drugs.’ The situation is critical – young people are dying at an alarming rate. Everyone must start talking about the deadly effects of heroin, and the conversation must begin from the point of view that any teenager may have already fallen prey to this unforgiving drug,” said Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni. The heroin abuse awareness campaign was created in response to a 24 percent increase in heroin overdose deaths among 18-26 year olds in New Jersey over a one-year period. The presentation is open to the general public. “Heroin isn’t the stale image of the 1970s with the junkie living out on the street shooting up in a back alley and dying alone next to a garbage dumpster. Today, heroin’s victims are our children – regular everyday kids who play sports, have dreams of college, careers and families. These kids are using heroin in our homes – in their bedrooms, and they are dying in their own beds, not out on the street,” said West Long Branch Police Chief Lawrence L. Mihlon. Mihlon witnessed firsthand the extreme dangers of heroin addiction, after he was forced to save his own son’s life last spring when the young man overdosed inside their home. Students First For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release, contact Assistant Principal Harry Chebookjian at ext. 2010 or e-mail hchebookjian@shoreregional.org About our school: Shore Regional High School is a regional public high school and school district serving students from the four communities of Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Sea Bright and West Long Branch, where the school is located. Shore Regional is a comprehensive high school offering students a wide variety of academic, co-curricular and athletic programs. Academically, Shore Regional has course offerings for all learning levels including Honors, Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB). There are over 30 co-curricular clubs to choose from and 18 varsity athletic programs.

Shore Regional High School District 132 Monmouth Park Highway West Long Branch, New Jersey 07764 (732).222.9300 or (732).229.8279 – Fax www.shoreregional.org PRESS RELEASE “It is very important for parents to understand how heroin, or any drug, can effect their children, but as a school community it is more important we come together to fight this deadly drug – a drug that is enslaving our children. We must stand together with the Prosecutor and open ourselves up to the harsh reality that heroin is killing our young people, because no one is immune,” said Shore Regional High School Principal Vincent G. DalliCardillo. Today, 4.2 million Americans aged 12 or older report using heroin at least once in their lives, according to a study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. An estimated 23.9 million Americans aged 12 and older reported using illicit drugs in the past month, as part of the National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health sponsored by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Of those reporting using illicit drugs, 669,000 reported using heroin. It is estimated more than 1 in 4 people who use heroin become addicted to it. “No one wakes up one morning and decides they are going to become a heroin addict. There are gateway drugs funneling our children to heroin use and abuse, and some of those gateway drugs are being prescribed by the family doctor: prescription drugs like oxycodone and other opiate-based prescription medications are easily abused by teens and only leads them to the more potent and addictive highs of heroin,” Gramiccioni said. The number of Monmouth County residents who sought treatment for a substance abuse problem was the highest in the state in 2012, according to statistics from the State Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services. More than 7,200 Monmouth County residents were admitted into a New Jersey- based substance abuse facility in 2012 (the latest statistics available) and more than 3,100 of those people were admitted for heroin addiction. “These numbers are low because we know many people seek treatment outside of New Jersey. It’s estimated the reported numbers only represent about half of the actual number of people who are seeking treatment – so there could be more than 14,000 people who sought out substance abuse Students First For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release, contact Assistant Principal Harry Chebookjian at ext. 2010 or e-mail hchebookjian@shoreregional.org About our school: Shore Regional High School is a regional public high school and school district serving students from the four communities of Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Sea Bright and West Long Branch, where the school is located. Shore Regional is a comprehensive high school offering students a wide variety of academic, co-curricular and athletic programs. Academically, Shore Regional has course offerings for all learning levels including Honors, Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB). There are over 30 co-curricular clubs to choose from and 18 varsity athletic programs.

Shore Regional High School District 132 Monmouth Park Highway West Long Branch, New Jersey 07764 (732).222.9300 or (732).229.8279 – Fax www.shoreregional.org PRESS RELEASE treatment – and potentially more than 6,000 for heroin addiction. We need to do something, and fast,” Gramiccioni said. The campaign was developed to bring public attention to the alarming trends in the abuse of heroin in New Jersey, explained Angelo M. Valente, Executive Director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. The campaign urges parents to begin conversations with their children about the dangers of heroin abuse before their teenage years . Students First For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release, contact Assistant Principal Harry Chebookjian at ext. 2010 or e-mail hchebookjian@shoreregional.org About our school: Shore Regional High School is a regional public high school and school district serving students from the four communities of Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Sea Bright and West Long Branch, where the school is located. Shore Regional is a comprehensive high school offering students a wide variety of academic, co-curricular and athletic programs. Academically, Shore Regional has course offerings for all learning levels including Honors, Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB). There are over 30 co-curricular clubs to choose from and 18 varsity athletic programs.