<p>Two Edgartown men face drug charges including heroin possession following a bust Friday by Edgartown police and the Martha’s Vineyard Drug Task Force.</p> Police are emphasizing the seriousness of heroin use and overdoses on the Island.
Two Edgartown men face drug charges including heroin possession following a bust Friday by Edgartown police and the Martha’s Vineyard Drug Task Force.
According to a post on the Edgartown police department’s Facebook page, a search warrant was issued by the Edgartown District Court Friday morning authorizing a search at number 10 Chamber’s Way in Edgartown.
The subject of the warrant was Justin Clark, 20. “The investigation revealed that Clark had been selling heroin,” police said. Officers located and seized approximately 10 grams of heroin that police said was “ready for distribution,” along with baggies, a scale, razors, two and a half ecstasy pills and a small amount of psilocybin mushrooms.
Mr. Clark was arrested and charged with possession to distribute a class A drug and possession of a class B drug.
Brandon Francis, 22, also of Chamber’s Way, was arrested and charged with possession of a class C drug.
The Facebook post underlined the seriousness of what it called a growing prevalence of heroin on the Island. “Heroin continues to be prevalent on the Island with tragic consequences,” the announcement said, noting that there had been two recent overdoses on the Vineyard: on Sept. 14, a 24-year-old man died of an obvious suspected heroin overdose in West Tisbury, police said, and on Oct. 1, the life of a 27-year-old man was saved by Oak Bluffs emergency personnel when he was discovered unconscious and barely breathing “from an obvious heroin overdose.”
Police are urging members of the Vineyard community to inform their local police department if they suspect or know of narcotics dealing, especially heroin.
“It could save a life,” the announcement said.
Comments
The problem of addiction on
D.D. EdgartownThe problem of addiction on MV is huge. Opiates,Alcohol, Coke. Yet we have our heads in the sand when it comes to treatment. I think we would see more people in treatment if they could get it here. Why are we not doing more? Arrests are one thing. Good job. But now what? Why would dealers be here if they didn't have a clientele. Alcoholism is out of control too. Where can addicts and alcoholics detox? They have to leave their families and jobs and that is IF they find a bed in an off Island facility. We need to take better of OUR OWN. We need to do more. !!!!
We care more about the people
Ken edgartownWe care more about the people in Iraq than our own. Its sad.
Great job by the EPD! They're
Ken Esq EdgartownGreat job by the EPD! They're selling poison and profiting from the destruction of the community. If you know a drug dealer report them...they're hurting us all.
Sad to hear so many people
Brenda OBSad to hear so many people are turning to drugs and or alcohol. MV definitely has a drug problem.
MV Hospital should have made space for a treatment facility.
That huge building with so much wasted space and money.
They should have kept some in an account to earn interest to ensure the salaries of the nursing staff.
Don't get me started on the
D.D. EdgartownDon't get me started on the MV Hospital. I just feel sad and frustrated for all the people struggling with addiction here. I don't know how much help the "little red house" is going to be once that is off the ground and running...but I think it is too little, too late. Unfortunately.
While we should commend the
WD VHWhile we should commend the EPD for their work, I'd wager the greater problem here on island, and off for that matter is in fact prescription drugs. Some of the same docs people love and rave about are the same ones feeding addictions to so many on island.
Docs and nurses besides the addicted know who these prescribers are, and nothing is being done. These people are committing crimes far more grave than street dealers, as the are breaking an oath as well as making a profit.
To WD, VH...Sad but true.
D.D. EdgartownTo WD, VH...Sad but true. Prescribing Opiates to Adderall and making a lot of money doing so.
My son is a recovering heroin
JB Vineyard HavenMy son is a recovering heroin addict. He shot heroin into his veins for 10 years. You don't just go to detox for 5 days and then go home and think you're not going to use again. Without long term rehab a heroin addict has no chance of staying clean. Heroin is a disease of the brain. For many people using heroin just a couple of times is enough to get them into full addiction. Once heroin takes over the brain the addict is completely under the control of the drug. It takes long term rehab of a minimum of 8 months to 2 years to break the cycle and give the addict a chance at recovery. Even then, an addict needs to work hard every single day to stay clean. When an addict does finally reach his bottom and tries to get into rehab after detox he usually has to wait weeks to get a bed. Most addicts won't remain clean while they wait. They will use again. They will try to use the same amount of the drug that they were using before detox which will cause them to overdose. My son has been clean for 3 years. I am a member of an online group of Moms who have children who are addicts. There are 13,000 of us in the group. There is an epidemic going on right now, right here and it isn't Ebola or the Enterovirus. It's heroin. Something needs to change. We are losing our children at an alarming rate and most people are oblivious of this. What's the answer? I don't know but we better find one soon.
I agree...the answer may be a
DD EdgartownI agree...the answer may be a long time coming but we need to take the steps to help those we can. And we need to start now. This Community is wonderful and I have seen people step up to the plate for people suffering from many physical conditions. Helping families all over this Island. However, addicts are judged harshly and not many people want to help....it is left to the families and many times the families have limited resources. Families are fractured and living a nightmare with nowhere to go. Depleted of savings and patience they many times want to give up. We need to do more. We need a Rehab Center right here....maybe we can't fund a long-term Rehab Center but we can certainly fill a gap. These kids and adults are dying a slow death...and many times fall through the cracks and never regain a meaningful life.
Does anyone really believe
BFDoes anyone really believe that "off Island" drug addicts get to be re habed right in their own home town? For some, it is a journey to get to help.
People on Island with cancer and other serious illness have to make the trip to Boston, sometimes for extended periods...It seems having these drug addicts make the "trip", no pun intended, is not too much to ask.
Fill up the JAILS, Build
Dont Coddle!Fill up the JAILS, Build more if you have to, Ship then off-island! Our island justice system enables and encourages this trade and behavior. STOP all your wineing and get tough, send a message that we wont coddle any of you any more because we see that surely doesn't work! Get a life and face the realities that what you are doing doesnt work, never has & never will!
I think you have a point ...
BFI think you have a point ....It does seem as though very little comes of any charge on Island, drug or otherwise. I also agree, if they have to go off Island...OH WELL!
Do you think that those charged with drug violations who live in the "real" world get to go to jail right down town, or rehab right around the corner, or just happen to have a hospital right next door? Of course not..They have to go to where something is available, regardless of the trip involved.
I think your comment is
M CI think your comment is extremely harsh. If you knew anything about addiction or have dealt with it personally you would see "sending them to jail" is not the answer. Treatment is and if the island is having such a problem they should open a facility.
I re read this article & the
joan WakefieldI re read this article & the comments. I guess I will just say the Police want your help. The dr/Dr's that prescribe these addicting drugs..are supposedly well known & loved. I have to say it's not about being loved the issue at hand is stopping the over prescribing of these Opiates. Some of these medications can only be prescribed by one type of specialized Dr.last I knew the allowed treatment was one hundred patients? What I do know is that other physicians and Pharmacists that see these odd prescriptions..are required by law to report them. This problem with over prescribing & drugs are everyone's job in reporting. If everyone looks away-then this individual professional continues. So many people feel it's about keeping friends. .When lives are at stake..it is not..These if you have facts, as documented examples. Report them. TELL THE POLICE..WRITE THE MEDICAL LICENSING BOARD.these reports for the licensing board need to be reported, They are followed up on. The physician in question is supposed to be tagged..In case of more complaints..This is not a friendship game. These are A MATTER OF LAW. A Matter of life or Death for some individuals.These medications in combination with other extremely dangerous drugs are killing people/people are killing themselves. Prescription Opiates are accounted for. Everyone is responsible. Medical Licensing Board of Massachusetts. .on line..Please if you know of this report it. A well loved doc. Isn't worth protecting if his way is to over prescribe,they get sold people overdose. How many will remain silent while they see another person with an odd prescription. It is everyone's issue, so I suggest if you know of someone REPORT IT. Reports are supposed to be anonymous . personally if I had proof of any of this I would not care who knew I made a complaint. A good specialist that over prescribes is everyone's problem.
I'm happy to see these drugs
LJ Oak BluffsI'm happy to see these drugs off the street. My 21 yr old nephew died from heroin in January after using for less than 6 months. He was a wonderful young man who had worked since he graduated high school. He earned enough money to buy a house (in the midwest) and he had a baby girl. Addiction i is a disease of the brain, and we still have much to learn. There isn't an acceptable dose of heroin. People don't die from a heroin overdose. They die from heroin. Today's heroin isn't allowing people to use for 10 years. They are dying rapidly. I hope to see more services available to help Islanders learn how to cope with stress in a healthy way. For people needing counseling, the community services wait list is long. Who is teaching coping skills to our young adults? Are they getting stress reduction assistance in middle school and high school? For adults, where are the support groups for people having difficulty managing life stress? The vineyard population needs better access to mental health support, and it needs to be socially acceptable to ask for it. Too many people are using alcohol, pot, and drugs as a means of coping with life's difficulties. Call a friend who is struggling and ask them to meet for coffee/tea or a walk today or tonight on our beautiful Island, rather than meeting at a bar.
What you are saying is that
If I understand youWhat you are saying is that the quality of the heroin is poor, that it is poison, and that people are dying not from overdose - though they do - but from the stuff that is being added to the heroin to make it - what - more addictive ? cheaper ? Is that what you are saying. Just want to be sure I understand, because if that is what you are saying, it is really important to know.
What I am saying is that the
LJ Oak BluffsWhat I am saying is that the heroin today is not the heroin of the past. It is much more potent, and people injecting it have zero idea of what is in it. But more importantly, there isn't an acceptable dose of heroin. People don't die from an overdose of heroin. They die because they are using heroin. The only thing saving people today is the increasing ability of police offers to offer a dose of a reversal drug. Saying that someone died of an overdose of heroin implies that there is some acceptable dose. There isn't.
What possess someone to take
Sis EdgartownWhat possess someone to take that initial leap into heroin use? Is it that they are already addicted to a prescriotion drug that they no longer have access to? Is it for thrills? Boredom? Depression? what starts the ball rolling here? Im not judging, I know addiction is a sickness, but its a totally avoidable one. And its one that you voluntarily enter into. I dont wish harm to anyone, but I have a difficult time having sympathy for people who make disasterous decisions that hurt themselves and everyone around them, then need the community to pick up the pieces.
I concur Sis , that the path
gina menemsha/nycI concur Sis , that the path to addiction is 100% voluntary.. I know I'll get some silly feedback saying it's due to a bad child hood, etc. but the bottom line is people like to escape & like to get "high" .. Sadly many can't keep their bad decisions in check.. & become addicts.. The most alarming sign for me is that our society considers suboxone as the new cure all & that is really scary.. Remember methadone??
One problem that is
BFOne problem that is overlooked is that so many of these young people have grown up in homes where parents, aunt's uncle's and even grandparents are using...What are they supposed to think? Where is the bar being set? What values are being imparted?
Look at the court reports. Many of these crimes we see reported are generational. We see the same names over and over. More often than not, the family is not doing their part to prevent or to help treat these young people. We cannot always depend on other's to do what is our job at home.
We all have watched friends and family raise kids knowing drug use is going on at home and say nothing.
Everything from alcohol, to pot, to pills, to cocaine is being used in many homes. Many still think that if Mom and Pop are just smoking weed and drinking beer that everything will turn out OK. Dimes to doughnuts all of these heroin addicts started out on pot (at home) and beer.
If it takes a village to raise a child, then speak up when you see this! It is child abuse, neglect, and exposing innocent children to life threatening behaviors.
No different than knowing they are being beaten on a daily basis.
So the problem isn't the kids
Peterpeter Martha's VineyardSo the problem isn't the kids using it's the parents, the aunts and uncle and they way they were brought up? Not true. Many children in this world, in this United States have lousy upbringings and are still lifting themselves up to better themselves. There is no better time in this great country that you have access to information, can attend schools and better yourself.
The problem, as I see it, is we've silver spooned these kids. Why work for $10/ hour when my mom and dad will pay me for what I need to do. Why get a place to live on my own and have responsibility? I'll stay at home while I'm 22 , 24 and 3o to play video games etc. The problem is there is no longer accountability. It's become everyone else's blame, societies problem and there's always someone else to help out. Self accountability will go a long way in cleaning up the problem.
Your first sentence is spun
BFYour first sentence is spun so badly that it almost doesn't deserve the respect of a response.
We can always find the exception in all things. Exceptions recognized,Yes, Peterpeter, it IS a major part of why a kid picks up in the first place!
Agreed, accountability for young people today is lacking. Also, there is almost NO accountability for the adults raising kids in this type of atmosphere. Look at your own response. You,I'm assuming, are an adult,(maybe not), yet you are totally unwilling to look at kids being raised in and around adult users as a factor.
And,yes,agreed, there is more information out there then ever before,on all things, including the hazards of "using", yet they still do it.
Therefore, one would think that to find out what was happening with the kid before that first journey into the world of drugs and alcohol was pretty important.
Next question for you. Why so defensive about adult culpability in this?
All these comments ignore the
George Stein EdgartownAll these comments ignore the acquisition process requires funding to evolve a sustained drug habit. Crime is not at levels creating horror on the Island. In jail you watch people detox daily. You hear the sources of the drugs and inadvertently find most sources of funding via who picks up the tab for legal fees. The judges on the Island can only act on the charges brought by the DA's office. Plea bargaining is done by the DA. Remember that when you vote. Too many people the only place they stay clean is a jail. You can stay clean anywhere you just want to do it. The enablers are as guilty as the dealers.
Heroin addiction is national
Liz Berardi VHHeroin addiction is national problem. It has come from the biggest pharmaceutical companies pushing certain addictive medications. Chicago is just one of the cities that has filed a lawsuit against the big Pharma companies for this problem. Doctors many of whom are unaware, have gone along with it. Once Istop was put into place to track the prescribing of medication to patients, the over- prescribing stopped for the most part. It left a vastly increased number of people suffering from substance use disorder, a medical disease of the brain, searching for a way to fill the void of their addiction. Opiate addiction is replacing one form of the drug with another. This occurs when the Doctors cease prescribing an opiate in the form of a pill to someone who then turns to heroin, cheaper and easier to get than beer in many states.
As the director of NIDA, Dr. Nora Volkow stated, " In all my years as a physician, I have never, ever met an addicted person who wanted to be an addict.". The disease of addiction is 50 to 75% genetics according to CASAColumbia. This epidemic is taking star athletes and valedictorians as well as older adults ( see NY TIMES article October 3, 2014 "More Older Adults Are Struggling With Substance Abuse") and everyone in-between. It has nothing to do with age, race, education, financial status or anything else. It is a disease like cancer or heart disease, even diabetes that does not discriminate.
The stigma and lack of medically factual awareness is stunning to read here in some of the comments. ONDCP Director Michael Botticelli said, "We cannot incarcerate addiction out of people". Why do you think the rate of recidivism in our prison system is so high? Talk about cost to taxpayers and worse the cost in waste of human lives. People need treatment and support, so they can reach sustained recovery (think chemo and cancer and yes, relapse also can occur). It is the humane way to address this progressive disease. It is why all across this country, laws are changing to help those low level offenders stay out of jail and receive the treatment they need. It is why the war on drugs is over. It is now a fact that this is a health issue we are dealing with. It is why Narcan is now available, to save precious lives.
Legal Action Center's statement is but one insight into how far and wide as well as dangerous the heroin epidemic has become. "Why it's more important than ever that people in the justice system have access to medication-assisted treatment for #opioid addiction, such as #methadone and #buprenorphine. Visit the Legal Action Center's website for more information on how denying these life-saving medications to people in the justice system violates anti-discrimination laws & the U.S. Constitution."
Folks, we need to care. Not one person reading this will remain immune from knowing someone touched by addiction of some type. According to RADM Boris D. Lushniak, M.D., M.P.H., Acting U.S. Surgeon General "In fact, at some time in their lives, nearly all Americans will be affected by a mental health or substance use disorder in themselves or their families.”
It is time to become educated as a nation.
Some of these comments make
MCCCMCSome of these comments make me sick. It is a DISEASE...not a choice. Yes, the first time someone tries something its a choice but the addiction is already in you laying dormant. Some of the comments are so cold I can't believe it. Does anyone have compassion in this world anymore. I lost my nephew 6 months ago to this DISEASE. He lived a tormented sad life of addiction and we all tried everything to help. You think your Island is too precious for an addict?? I can tell you that I know a lot of people who are in recovery and they are the nicest people I've ever met. Its from the 12 steps. I highly recommend them for anyone!!! Everyone has made mistakes, sinned, lied etc. Why don't you try and help someone instead of bashing them and wanting to push them off your precious Island. We have multiples deaths per day off Island!!!!! The article came out because of two overdoses with one ending in death. You have no clue how bad it really is.
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