Forum tackles teen use of opioids

Community members filled a room at the Riverdale Neighborhood House for a forum on drug use and dependence on Jan. 14, organized by northwest Bronx Councilman Andrew Cohen and Community Board (CB) 8.

An in-depth investigation by The Press found that a group of students at the David A. Stein Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy (M.S./H.S. 141, RKA) was using hard drugs, including heroin, last year. Several experts said similar situations — which did not appear to be widespread among the student body — were common in affluent areas across the state and country.

The panel included officials from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and the Department of Education (DOE), as well as several local experts.

Eileen Cotter, who oversees health services and compliance for the DOE in the Bronx, mentioned several resources for parents, including www.hitesite.org, which has information on low-cost health care options.

Robert Brewster of the Riverdale Mental Health Association (RMHA) spoke about his organization’s work on the front lines of drug abuse treatment in the community. He said one of the most common cases he sees is when someone who was prescribed opioid painkillers like oxycodone for a surgery has a hard time getting off the drugs.

“We’ve also witnessed a huge increase in heroin use, primarily snorting,” he said. “Because what happens is that people will begin to use opioids, and heroin is cheaper. I just spoke with someone in our ReSolve substance abuse program yesterday, and she told me that in this neighborhood that one opioid pill costs about $30, and for $30 you can get three bags of heroin.”

Mr. Brewster stressed that treatment is most effective the earlier the addiction is identified, and that people need to remember addiction is an illness — not a personal weakness.