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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016
DRUGS AND KIDS
Brides on parade
Recovering
addict says it’s
about education
County teens
have higher
rates of reported
drug use
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
When people need a sober
assessment of how serious a
community’s drug problem is,
Eric Martin said, that is when
he is usually invited to speak.
Martin, a recovery coun-
selor, expert
on drug ad-
diction and
a recovering
addict who
is an instruc-
tor at the
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of Oregon,
was brought Eric Martin
in by North
Coast Prevention Works
Thursday to educate the pub-
lic during two forums about
heroin and recently legalized
marijuana.
“Oregon is one of the top
10 drug-using states in one of
the most drug-using countries
in the world,” Martin said, not-
ing the state ranks in the top 10
nationally in past-year usage
rates of every major drug, a
distinction matched only by
Colorado.
Younger problem
Clatsop County teens, he
said, also have a higher rate
of drug and alcohol use in the
past 30 days than the rest of the
state.
According to the 2015
Oregon Health Teens Survey,
taken anonymously by eighth-
and 11th graders, 9 percent
of eighth-graders and 31.2
percent of high school juniors
reported using marijuana at
least once in the past month.
More than 15 percent of ju-
niors reported using prescrip-
tion drugs in the past month
without a doctor’s note. From
tobacco and alcohol to mari-
juana and prescription drugs,
Clatsop County had higher
rates of reported drug use than
the state.
Astoria High School Coun-
selor Andrew Fick said that
with all the grim statistics, it is
important to note that most kids
do not use drugs or alcohol.
“I don’t want the impres-
sion to be that schools look the
other way,” he said.
Fick said the high school
focuses on preventative educa-
tion, increasing access to help
for those who have problems
and providing students with
plenty of opportunities to live
an active, sober lifestyle.
Martin said the issue of
youth drug and alcohol abuse
is especially troubling because
Oregon ranks in the top three
nationally for high school
dropout rates. He said there is
a strong correlation between
dropout rates and drug use.
Many people who end up in
treatment for drug and alcohol
abuse also show an earlier on-
set of use.
By age 25, Martin said,
people become much more
likely to get clean, party less
and become more adult, based
on behavioral data.
Opiates
Of special concern are opi-
ates, which Martin said are the
hardest to wean off of and have
the highest rates of relapse.
The drug is experiencing a re-
surgence, including overdose
rates rivaling the HIV epidem-
ic in the 1980s.
“We are sort of awash in
black tar heroin on the West
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said, adding cartels ramped
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Mexican authorities clamped
down on methamphetamine.
Kerry Strickland, a for-
mer secretary at Astoria High
School who spoke at one of
the forums, said her son Jor-
dan’s issues started in high
school, when he and friends
started using prescription opi-
ates when partying. Someone
eventually introduced Jor-
dan to heroin, she said, and
he spent the next seven years
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ly getting clean at a facility in
Hollywood, California. After
seven months of sobriety, she
said, he and a friend decided
to go have a beer. Within two
days, her son had relapsed and
died of an overdose.
Community issue
“We live in a society where
altering oneself is what we do
to socialize,” Strickland said,
adding society needs to over-
come the stigma of addiction
and work together on the issue.
The closest people came to
a consensus at the forum was
on education. Some put the
onus on schools, while others
said the problem is one for the
community as a whole.
“The scare tactics don’t
work on kids these days,”
said Michael Sahlberg, a para-
medic with Medix who goes
into schools to educate young
people on drugs and alcohol.
“They have to be informed.”
YOUTH DRUG
PREVENTION
North Coast Prevention
Works, a Clatsop County
coalition focused on
preventing youth drug
and alcohol abuse, meets
from 3:30 to 5 p.m. the
third Thursday of each
month at Warrenton City
Hall, 225 S. Main Ave.
Prosecutors, parents, health
experts address heroin abuse
Millett of the Oregon Public
Health Division State Prescrip-
A Connect the Dots panel tion Drug Monitoring Program
presentation, “The Opioids & and Overdose EPI/Injury and
Heroin Epidemic,” takes place Violence Prevention; John
from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tues- McIllven, a licensed mental
day at the Judge Guy Boying- health counselor, Oregon’s state
opioid authority, operations and
ton Building.
Presenters include Clatsop policy analyst and manager of
County District Attorney Josh the Health Professionals Ser-
Marquis; Clatsop County Dep- YLFH 3URJUDP DQG 'U 6D¿QD
uty District Attorney David Koreishi, medical director of
Goldthorpe; Kerry Strickland, WKH &ROXPELD 3DFL¿F &RRUGL-
D&ODWVRS&RXQW\SDUHQW/LVD nated Care Organization.
The Daily Astorian
Couples and future brides were treated to a fashion show and sampled exhibits at the ShoreStyle Wedding Faire Sat-
urday at the The Loft at the Red Building. Charlene Harbor, along with other models, took a final turn modeling bridal
gowns.
Photos by Linh DePledge/For The Daily Astorian
Erin Wilson and Nick Muir, of Beaverton, who are planning
a coastal wedding, check out Holly McHone Jewelers of
Astoria.
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area reduced due to
equipment failure
.081¶V EURDGFDVW KDV
taken over KCPB. But the
.081&RDVW&RPPXQLW\ broadcast area for KCPB is
Radio is down to its secondary only 700 watts, compared
station, KCPB (90.9 FM), af- WR DERXW IRU .081
ter a piece of equipment broke Rideout said, meaning the
on its Megler Mountain trans- station only reaches parts of
WKH /RQJ %HDFK :DVKLQJ-
mitter.
General Manager Joanne ton, Peninsula and as far as
Rideout said an exciter, the Cannon Beach, instead of to
term for the oscillator creat- Raymond, Washington, and
ing the radio frequency signal 3DFL¿F &LW\ ZLWK WKH XVXDO
and the modulator adding the transmitter.
Rideout said the parts
information to be transmitted,
have been ordered from Port-
has broken.
:KLOH .081¶V VLJQDO land, and the radio station
still goes from the Tillicum could be back to normal as
House to Megler Mountain, VRRQ DV :HGQHVGD\ /LVWHQ-
the transmitter does not send HUV FDQ DOVR VWUHDP .081
at www.coastradio.org
anything out.
The Daily Astorian
Clatsop County hires new
human resources director
The Daily Astorian
Clatsop County hired a
new human resources director.
Robin Koch will join the
county Feb. 8. She replaces
Dean Perez, who left the posi-
tion in June after 16 years for
a new job in Bothell, Wash-
ington.
Mark Story served in the
position on an interim basis
since October.
Koch, a Portland native,
has an extensive 20-plus-
years background in human
resources in both the private
and public sectors, according
to the county.
She most recently served
as employee relations manag-
er for Tacoma. She has bach-
elor’s and master’s degrees
IURP3DFL¿F/XWKHUDQ8QLYHU-
sity.
The human resources
director oversees person-
nel-related responsibilities for
the county’s approximately
200-person workforce, in-
cluding recruitment, training,
performance evaluation, com-
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as risk management.
Cari Knapp modeling one of many bridal gowns from the
fashion show.
Transit district recognizes
riders with free bus service
The Daily Astorian
The Sunset Empire Trans-
portation District has an-
nounced that its annual Rid-
ership Appreciation Day is
Thursday. The district sets
aside one day every year to
offer free bus service on all
regular routes in Clatsop
County to bus riders and the
local community in apprecia-
tion of their support.
Refreshments are avail-
able from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at
the Astoria Transit Center,
900 Marine Drive, and from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sea-
side Kiosk, 1111 N. Roosevelt
Drive in Seaside.
Ridership
Appreciation
Day is scheduled to coincide
with the Project Homeless
Connect event, which is also
being held Thursday at the
Seaside Convention Center
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For information about Rid-
ership Appreciation Day or
Project Homeless Connect,
contact Mary Parker at 503-
861-5370.
Rep. Boone to appear at town
hall on storm insurance tonight
The Daily Astorian
State
Rep.
Deborah
Boone is part of a town hall
on storm insurance tonight at
Tillamook Community Col-
lege in Tillamook.
“During the month of De-
cember, severe winter storms
hit the North Coast,” Boone
wrote in a release Sunday.
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incurred damage to their
homes, cars, and property
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blown-off shingles, etc. And
LI\RX¶YHHYHU¿OHGDQLQVXU-
ance claim, you know how
frustrating that can be.”
Boone, D-Cannon Beach,
will hold the town hall with
5HS'DYLG*RPEHUJ'/LQ-
coln City, and representa-
tives from the Oregon In-
surance Division. They will
work with residents on how
best to address damages and
work with their insurance
companies.
ENTIRE
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