I have been reading many of the articles that the Cape Gazette has been writing about the drug epidemic in Delaware.
The recent articles concerning fentanyl and other synthetic pain relievers, which are circulating throughout the state, are particularly alarming. I am also concerned that the state's extra funding of $2 million in the governor's budget for drug abuse treatment is possibly going to be axed because of fiscal constraints.
The mother's letter to the editor about her son's heroin overdose which led to his death was heart wrenching. While we are at it let's also add the horrible situation of addicted mothers and addicted babies.
My question is where did we drop the ball? Aren't we all somehow to blame for what is happening in our state and communities with regard to the drug epidemic in Delaware? Parents could be more alert about their children's behavior and question what is the source of their changes in behavior. The educational system should be asking themselves how young men and women who are now in their 20s or 30s are now showing addictive behavior.
Could we have done more to educate children, particularly in middle or high school, about drugs and the consequences of drug addiction that may lead to losing their lives?
What are our counseling departments in our schools doing to not allow students who are demonstrating addictive behaviors to slip through the cracks in our school systems?
Lastly, why are we cutting funds for substance abuse treatment, especially in Sussex County, that Linda Walls pointed out in her letter to the editor. If anything we should be increasing state funding to bolster the counseling departments in our schools to deal with the issue. Again as always, it's about the money. I would think that people's lives are more important than some so-called other priorities for state funding.
There is one issue that nobody has put forth that needs to be addressed and that is the fact that some of the retail establishments in our state, in particular convenience stores, are selling drug paraphernalia under the guise of tobacco products and cleaning products, for the use of marijuana, cocaine and crack cocaine. Oftentimes the parking lots of these stores are used for the transaction of drugs both day and night sometimes right under the noses of local police departments.
We all have to work together to control this drug epidemic in our state, otherwise we will continue to see obituaries for young men and women who "passed away suddenly” either by suicide, drug overdose or gun violence.
Joseph Carsello
Millsboro
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to newsroom@capegazette.com. Letters must be signed and include a telephone number and address for verification. Please keep letters to 500 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content and length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days. Letters restating information and opinions already offered by the same author will not be used. Letters must focus on issues of general, local concern, not personalities or specific businesses.
