Editorial: One suburb's example in the drug abuse fight

The fight against youth substance abuse must be a joint battle, and Naperville is one example of a community where leaders have rightfully made that battle a priority.

At the forefront is a new coalition pulling together people from different segments in the community - high school students, parents, educators, police, faith leaders, government officials, business leaders, health officials and youth services organizations.

The 23-member Community Alliance for Prevention is first going to gather information from the targeted group - students in Naperville Unit District 203 and Indian Prairie Unit District 204 via survey - to help identify local problems and find local solutions. The fact the schools are invested in this effort is a good sign that progress could be made.

"As a nurse, I understand the health side of it. And I understand how it impacts the community," said Cathy Lozon, a school nurse in District 204 and a coalition member. She is leading the assessment process and told Daily Herald staff writer Marie Wilson the review of student survey data will help by providing details on substance abuse (who, what and how often) and the consequences (hospitalization, violence and other crimes).

By using local research along with national resources, the Naperville coalition believes it can come up with better solutions to preventing problems like prescription drug abuse, marijuana experimentation or heroin addiction - all of which are ongoing issues in Naperville and the suburbs as a whole.

"A lot of things that happen to address substance abuse are not in line with what research says," said Karen Jarczyk, prevention director for 360 Youth Services, a Naperville-based nonprofit leading the coalition. "We're focused on using the best science available."

For parents with children abusing drugs, knowing that the community is actively fighting against substance abuse should bring comfort that they are not alone, and it should open any eyes of people who still may not believe this is a problem in a suburb like Naperville.

"It's really about changing the culture in the community," Jarczyk said. "How do we make the community healthier so that kids are less likely to use?"

Naperville, of course, isn't the only suburb facing these troubles. The DuPage Coalition Against Heroin is working with 26 high schools to raise awareness and get ideas on how to combat drug use. Heroin abuse also is discussed in health and science classes in Lake County.

Naperville, though, once named one of the best places to raise a child in the country, deserves praise for a multifaceted approach that acknowledges that raising a family these days can be very tough.