Lacey Officials Urge Residents To Attend Upcoming Major Drug Forum

by Patricia A. Miller

Parents, guardians and students will have another chance to attend a major drug forum sponsored by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office in the Pine Belt Arena in Toms River on May 27.

The event will run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on May 27 at the Pine Belt Arena in Toms River.

"It's going to be a really informative night," Lacey Committeeman David Most said.

The event will feature the same guest roster as an event attended by hundreds in Stafford Township last December.

Maureen, Jesse and Tyler Morella will discuss "Jesse's Journey" - a chronicle of Jesse's struggle after he took heroin for the first time and ended up in a wheelchair.

Also slated to speak is Douglas S. Collier, a retired Drug Enforcement Administration agent who now works with the New Jersey Attorney General's office.

Heroin is more potent than ever, Collier has said at previous forums. A substance that had 3 to 8 percent potency 20 years ago is now 40 to 60 percent pure heroin, he said..

Collier has also shared some inconvenient and uncomfortable truths about a typical heroin addict. They're increasingly suburban residents, mostly young ones, and almost always begin their dark path to heroin injections with opiate-based pain pills, such as Vicodin or Oxycodone.

Musician Richie Sambora will also attend. Sambora has donated $40,000 for the event, Lacey Committeeman Peter Curatolo said.

Registration is required. To register, go to http://www.instituteforprevention.com/ or call 732-886-4757.