You really need to appreciate the amount of work that apparently goes into making this quiet little town seem quiet. I don't know if they read this...but if they do. Thanks to the entire Whitman Police.

thank you for noticing.

It's really disturbing the amount of incidents you read involving hypodermic needles found in the street..There's atleast 1 per week. Is this Harlam or Whitman ??
Too bad the drug users corpse wasn't found next to the needles.

Such a true statement......my son's friend found a needle just this week on whitman Ave...same street as the Police Station. Drug users can be brazen!!!

I Know That This Doesn't Compare To Real Crime,But I'm Sick Of Picking Up Trash In Front Of My Home,Can't These Lowlifes Wait For A Trashcan?

Hey anyone know where I could score some cheap heroin??
Answer: Yeah,on any street in Whitman apparantly.

And if the addict was your child or family member would you still want to see the corpse there? Do you live under a rock, opiate addiction is in epidemic proportions around here....not just Whitman and the addicts come from good homes with families that care about them. I agree that is very disturbing the amount of needles found in the street. I sugest you people educate yourselves to this problem, espicially if you have kids. It's not going away. As I said these "Corpses" you would like to see is someones kid who had a bright future and plans but due to the opiate surge, there gone.

The corpses you would like to see in the street most likely started with a small pill called Oxycontin. It was first given to them by one of the following:
a friends Father, the coach at school, the friendly neighbor, or a doctor who prescribed the drug for a back ache, a drug that is meant to relieve the pain for dying cancer patients. This drug has led smart, beautiful children to addiction. This drug is the first step to Heroin because of its high cost of approx. $50 dollars a pill; they go to Heroin for $3 to $5 a bag.
These are the sons and daughter we have all held as babies and dreamed of their future lives. Of growing up and being successful with families of their own..
By making remarks like the one you made...you become part of the problem instead of someone trying to solve the problem.

Sincerely,
Linda (a proud member of "Learn to Cope")

It saddens me to see ignorance paraded as wisdom-- when most likely its fear -- Try educating yourself on opiate addiction --try compassion for the family who so desparately wants their family member to live -- but most of all, pray that you or no one close to you never, ever falls victim to the demon so many of us know as addiction --
This demonic epidemic is consuming our children -- try being part of the solution instead of the catalyst to the stygma....

i guess some people do not read the area papers or watch informative shows on tv i am a parent who has dealt with this problem in whitman guess what it doesn't stop at our town borders it is everywhere no matter what your status in life is. maybe you should read up on the subject before typing your comments. another grateful learn to cope member.

Sorry..I guess I am a jerk then.. I have 0 sympathy or understanding for people who make the decision to stick themselves with a needle to get high with all of the info there is out there on why NOT to do this.As a matter of fact,I do watch shows on drug addiction.Watched one last night actually.It was about a guy and his girlfriend who murdered a father of 3 while trying to steal his money for thier next fix.I find these folks,once addicted,won't/don't stop untill something serious occurs such as what I watched last night. So in closing,I will agree that some of these people probably did have bright futures.But once addicted they're NOTHING but a danger to themselves and society.I have 0 use for them. Think about it..They're finding needles on the same street as the Police station? You think these addicts have any regard for you,your family,or you house,car etc ? The answer is no. They will stop at nothing,even murder,for that next bag.
The only users I will exclude from this rant would be an oxy user that was prescribed this from a doctor for pain who became addicted and developed a problem.I have no figures to back this up but I would think that there is a low % of these people shooting up in the streets of Whitman.

Sorry for the duplicate post..no idea how that hapened.
LCB- I would like to respond to this.....
"It saddens me to see ignorance paraded as wisdom-- when most likely its fear"

You're damn right I'm afraid. I'm afraid that some child may pickup one of these needles some day and contract a disease. I'm afraid that my house may be broken into. I'm afraid of some addict,while doped up, crashes into my wife while she's coming home from food shopping.
You hit the nail right on the head. In addition to be repulsed,yeah I'm scared of what these addicts are capable of and the danger they cause.

maybe this will help you understand what happened.....this was not a chosen thing...their fault was they were kids who made some bad decisions....but none of them chose this...nobody told them oxy-contin was heroin...this is from one of the addicts who turned it around that you have zero use for....this is a disease just like diabetes or cancer and it needs treatment that unfortuntely this state offers little of. Oxy-contin is behind 90% of this. No these kids were not prescribed it but they were young, in highschool and told it was not addictve...bad decisions but again they were kids and this drug should not have been flooded into the market as safe. These "nothings" as you call them are someones son or dauhter that despertely would like their life back...please read on

his letter is from my son

I’m a twenty-four year old male from the South Shore. I recently read an online article at CBS.com about the case brought up against Purdue Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Oxycontin. Though it was good to see that this problem is finally being shown in a national light, I have to say the punishment handed down to those responsible for creating and releasing such a plague on the youth of this country was a mere slap on the wrist.
As I said, I am now twenty-four and currently clean for over a year, coming off a three and a half year addiction to opiates that all started when I was nineteen. It was the summer after I graduated high school and I was looking forward to going to college and creating a life for myself. At that time Oxy’s (as they were called on the street) were the newest thing, a super drug, a pill that felt as good as heroin, but wasn’t addicting like the dirty street drug. Me, like the majority of my friends, trying to have one last summer free of responsibility figured, why not? Little did I know that ingesting that one little green pill would drastically change the rest of my life.
From that night my life spiraled and it did so fast. I used Oxy’s for seven days in a row after that night, and pretty much continued that pattern for two years. Once my addiction got to the point where I couldn’t afford it with my entire paycheck, selling and/or stealing any and everything I could, I started selling them for a local dealer just to feed my sickness and keep the ride going for one more day. Then I stole from him and when into hiding with the twenty-five, 80-milligram Oxy’s I had left “to sell” and did them all. One would think that with a three hundred dollar a day Oxy habit you would have no choice but to get clean and get out, but I didn’ t. I did the only thing I thought I could do at that time and took what I thought was the next step…. Heroin. Yes, that, the one thing that as a kid growing up in a nice middle class family, in a nice neighborhood, in a nice quiet town you were told NEVER to do.
I didn’t care about anything or anyone, I had completely shut my family out of my life, and was losing friends almost daily, my life was a mess but as long as I found a way to get enough money together to get high none of that would matter. When any outsider would have thought I was at that bottom, using strictly to avoid being sick and not even to get high, did I chose to get out while I could? No. I chose to do whatever I could to stay on that ride. I used a needle. Someone told me, “you can still get high and not only can you still get high, you can get more bang for your buck”. So, sitting in a trashy apartment, in a trashy town, in a sickening neighborhood, I let a stranger teach me how to shoot up.
It was like the first high all over again, a whole new ride, and a much better one at that. And a whole new ride meant a brand new course, a course that added another two years to my life as a junky…and that is exactly what I was. I was a disappointment to everyone that cared about me, I was a liar, I was a thief, I was a junky in every sense of the word, and what’s even worse, I didn’t care. I knew what I was doing could kill me, but to be honest at the time dying didn’t seem all that bad because I really didn’t believe there was any escape from the hell I was in.
Eventually, I realized that there was a way to escape and I’ve been fighting ever since to get myself back to where I once was, to what I once was. The part that scares me the most is I know I’ll never be that same person again. I’ve stared the devil right in the eyes and anyone that has done the same will tell you it’s something that stays with you forever. It’s something you will never forget.
nbsp; The point I’m trying to make to you is I wasn’t a bad kid that was always getting into trouble, I didn’t grow up in a bad neighborhood, and I didn’t run with a bad crowd. I played little league and youth hockey, I loved my family and they loved me, I was a good person that had a future planned. So if anything I’d like that thank Purdue Pharmaceuticals for robbing my future and almost my life, for steeling three and a half years from me, for slapping the scarlet letter of an addict on my chest, and for ruining my town and a good portion of the country as well. And though six hundred million is a lot of money, it’s pennies compared to the ten billion dollars they made off of destroying and taking the lives of so many good, innocent people…some wonder drug.

jrobe,
I read your son's letter. This is a wonderful story.Probably not nearly enogh of these.I wish him all the best.
Please let me defend myself.When I said that they are "nothing" I mean while addicted,and your son pretty much admits that in his letter by saying he didnt care about dying.
Look,I'm am not here to start a war with my fellow residents. Drugs are the root of all evil as far as I'm concerned. If it only hurt the user to take drugs than so be it.But these folks problems and poor decision making become everyones' problem,from close family members to some poor guy walking home from work some night and being killed.
Maybe I was too harsh in some of my statements.For those offended, I apologize.I care about the town where I and my family live in,and see these folks as a danger to eveyone.

My feelings exactly and thats why there has to be more help for these kids....we are talking about alot of kids from this town and surrounding towns. We cant just toss them aside and say you blew it. People need to be educated about this. Especially those with young kids. Believe me my family was totally blindsided by this. And had it not happend to my family I would probably feel as you and many others do. My point is, it happened, heroin happened big to this town and to some good people and we need to find ways to help them. As you can see my son is no a productive member of society because he had support and help. Isn't this better than being an active using addict out there stealing for the next high? Getting real treatment for these kids is so hard, most are over 18 and dont work due to thier addiction, therefore we are totally dependent on the state for treatment, which right now is not much and there is a huge waiting list for beds in these facilities with most all admitions for heroin addiction.

I agree.. But in my opinion,alot of these kids,with the exception of your son, do not seem to want the treatment. They just continue on till something bad happens;whether that be to themselves or someone else.

Unfortunately your right about something bad happening to them...its called hitting bottom. But if you knew some of these kids before addiction totally took over you would know this is not where they want to be and most treatment is only 7 days and then there right back on the street. I as afraid for this town as you are. Something has to be done and I believe it starts with educating people. Heroin is not going anywhere and opiates are at our highschool right now being passed around and until pepole and especially parents know what to look for its not going to stop and you just end up with a whole new wave of addicts. My son is doing great but he will always be an addict now he is an addict in recovery and after 2 years he still fights the demon of heroin. Thats how strong a hold it puts on you. I appreciate you opions here and hope maybe you can see a little bit of the other side of addiction.

Thanks to you all for this dialog. I am a victim of a heroin addict from Whitman. He stole thousands of dollars from me, my husband and our 3 young children. Once a productive and talented builder, his habit took such a hold on him, he resorted to swindling innocent people out of money. Once I found out that he was an addict, I read as much as I could about this disease. I can't belive how prevalent it is in our small towns and how little people know about it.

Because of him, I had to tell my children, as young as 5 years old, why this person, who seemed so nice, stole from us. This is the bright side to the story.

We had been in the criminal process for 8 months trying to get our money back when he died of an overdose at his Whitman home in February. He had two small children and my heart aches for these poor, innocent victims. Why didn't this make headlines??

This man was not a victim, he chose to do what he did. There are no excuses to be made for what he did -- he hurt some good, innocent people. I read somewhere that 95% of heroin addicts don't get better. I hoped that he would be in the 5% minority because the sober person was not a bad guy -- just a guy with children and a huge problem. The addict, however, was a horrible beast.

I applaud anyone who's been able to overcome the addiction, but have no sympathy. No one starts out wanting to be an addict, but one has to know that that is exactly what will happen if you "try" heroin.

I am so sorry for your experience with this. But sadly it wont end and people like you will continue to be the victims of addicts destructive behavior. Why didnt it make headlines? Good question. Maybe because that would put it in print that Whitman may have a heroin problem. People asscocite this drug with low lifes and back alleys and they dont want to hear about it in their town. Thats why I say educate yourself, which you seem to have started doing. I know how you feel. I lived this nightmare for four years sleeping with my pocketbook under my pillow. I didnt know what to look for for signs in the beginning. Opiate abuse starts for alot of kids with pre_script_ion meds right out of their medicine cabinets. I dont know the circumstances of what happened with the man your talking about but I do know that my kids were at party in highschool when oxycontin was there from someone who had ther wisdom teeth out. They were kids and were told its just a pill, you'll have a good time....no idea that it was actually heroin. More than 12 kids graduated heroin addicts that year. You have kids of your own and seen what heroin can do to someone.....please educate them and yourself because heroin doesnt discriminate.

Addiction is not a moral issue. Anyone can become addicted to drugs or alcohol (a drug itself).

In AA, there is a saying, "It is not my fault but it IS my responsibility."

Although numerous programs exist to help addicts, addicts need to hit a bottom and WANT to get help.

Intervention by families sometimes works.

In the end, as AA would believe, it may be "the Grace of God."

But do not assume that you, your children, your friends are immune.

Alcohol and drugs are a killer. Heredity is thought to play a role.

My respect goes out to those kids who vow NEVER to pick up a drink or a drug.....because you can never tell who is going to be susceptible to becoming an addict to alcohol or drugs.

People who associate with addicts put themselves at risk. That is why organizations such as Alanon exist.

If you are coping with an addict, that is a good place to go. It will not tell you how to "cure" an addict, because you cannot do that. But it WILL help you preserve your sanity/family life. "Detach with love," is sometimes the best solution.

But please do not make moral judgments. Drugs/alcohol do not discriminate. You can separate without setting yourself up as morally superior.

Do not protect or enable, either. That does not help.

I have to admit I'm only half kidding when I say that the grace of God is not going to get my $60,000 back. I know that my friends and family are not immune. I've seen other types of addiction and the toll it takes. I just feel like it's not fair that people look at me and ask, "why did you give your money to a heroin addict. How could you not know?". As if somehow I did something wrong. The truth is that you don't know who an addict is by looking at him/her.

It's sad that the 3 people on this log are the only ones reading this note. I hope to some day gather more awareness of this issue. I hope to God that my children never try drugs, but know that there is only so much I can do to prevent it. I don't judge anyone, but I do expect individuals to take responsibility for their actions. We all have a choice, I pray that my children don't make the wrong one! Thanks for listening.

All this discussion on our forums has been informative and interesting, thanks to all who have participated. I believe it's worth while for the paper to start looking into the amount of discarded needles being found in Whitman, for a story in the paper. If anyone is interested in telling their story, on the record, please call me at 781-293-0420 or e-mail editor@whitmanexpress.com. I'm really looking for someone who lives near the park, or who has found needles themselves, to talk about how this makes you feel and what you think the town should do about it. Thanks,

- Justin

i understand where everyone is coming from. but being someone who just went through high school, i can say that the vast majority of people between 19-27 years old do not do heroin or opiates, or pass them around school for even that matter. someone with that addiction isnt like everyone else, they have a serious, serious drug addiction. please dont make it seem like the world is completly overridden by drugs because i completly disagree. i mostly disagree with whitman being compared to a city. in real cities, there are gangs, people getting shot, places getting robbed. just because there are a few junkies being dirty pigs throwing needles in the street after use, doesnt make the town or area as a whole, drug infested. you all sound like you googled heroin or something. becauuse you all think you know what your talking about.

Blacklable:

I think maybe you should google heroin. I wish I didnt know half as much about as I do. And it wasnt through googling it. Unfortunately I had to live through it with a family member. And I thing that if you pick up a newspaper a little more often you will find that opiate addiction is a huge problem in not only Whitman but also Abington, Easton to name a few. 87% of all admissions to rehab and detox are for opiates and for people between the ages of 19 and 27. Sad but it is a fact.

I don't think that all high school students are opiate addicts. However, before I was robbed by a heroin addict (who, by the way, was not a filthy pig but a hard-working father of 2) I didn't realize that there were as many people addicted to opiates as there are. I met with this man many times and had no idea he was an addict -- you don't know. I'm sure there are classmates of yours who are addicted and you don't even know it. I hope not, but it could be. Good for you for choosing the right path. Please look out for your friends.