CARIBOU — The state of Maine recently received $2.25 million to be used in preventing youth substance abuse, and $125,000 of that grant was given to the Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention program, also known as ASAP.
The money was awarded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s Drug Free Communities program.
While the funding was originally intended for CADET (Community Alcohol and Drug Education Team) of Caribou, it was instead given to ASAP, since they cover a wider area.
“Our focus on the grant is drug and alcohol prevention among young people,” said Mark Shea, ASAP manager and project director.
ASAP has a wide variety of projects associated with their goal, and the grant will help them develop new projects while continuing existing ones. Some of their recent endeavors include publishing a comprehensive guide to substance abuse treatment and addiction services, and distributing over 2,000 copies to community groups from Allagash to Wytopitlock.
“Along with the the substance abuse directory, we recently worked with Healthy Aroostook to purchase portable breathalyzer units that will be distributed to local police and sheriffs county-wide,” said Shea. “That will allow law enforcement to better test people who are out on the road while intoxicated.”
ASAP has also developed a program called “Hidden in Plain Sight,” which teaches parents about the signs they should look for if they suspect a young person is engaging in risky behavior.
“Even though we focus on substance abuse prevention,” Shea said, “young people are often exposed to a lot of things including sexual activity and mental health disorders. Through this program, we are able to teach parents what to look for, and how to get young people the help they need if they are engaging in risky behavior.”
The group is also working to educate people on the side effects of marijuana with regards to Question 1, which asks voters if they support recreational pot use for those over the age of 21.
“We don’t necessarily want to tell people how to vote on that issue, but we want them to make an informed decision at the polls. People overlook that there is a pretty high number of youth using marijuana, and legalization could increase that number.”
Looking ahead, some of ASAP’s future goals include establishing youth groups through local schools, and seeking greater community involvement.
“The funding may go away, but the problems young people are dealing with are not,” Shea said.
The ASAP director urges anyone with questions or interest in helping to contact him at 498-9952 or via email at mshea@carymed.org.
