Photo courtesy of the Stand Project
According to the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, there was a 366 percent increase in drug overdose deaths in Ohio from 2000 to 2012. Additionally, there were more than 3,000 unintentional drug overdose deaths in 2015.
It’s no secret that drug abuse and addiction is a severe problem affecting central Ohio, and teenagers are most at risk. However, one group in Upper Arlington has decided to take a “stand” against it.
The Stand Project was formed in mid-2015 when Upper Arlington City Schools Superintendent Paul Imhoff brought together a diverse group of people in the community who shared his concern of drugs being marketed to high school students. This group includes retired Upper Arlington Police Chief Brian Quinn, along with parents, teachers, principals and others in the community.
“A lot of amazing people have come together who recognize that there’s a real problem here, and can really have the vision to realize that if this goes unchecked, it will be an all-consuming problem,” says at-large member Dr. John Leff.
Photo courtesy of the Stand Project
Leff, a surgeon at Riverside Methodist Hospital and a member of the steering committee at the Stand Project, says that drug addiction and abuse, particularly opiates, has become such a problem in part because those who suffer from it do not have health care. Their addiction is so overwhelming that they neglect critical post-operative care.
“We’re seeing a lot of people come in neglecting these issues, particularly with heroin,” Leff says. “They really let these problems go.”
He first started to notice how big of a problem opiate abuse was becoming in high schools when he saw an increased number of students with abscesses from skin popping or injections, something he says used to only be “really commonly found in 20- and 30-year-olds.”
Many students’ introduction to opiates is during recovery from a sports injury or following procedures such as wisdom teeth removal or an appendectomy.
“What we’ve come to realize now is that there’s a subset of these addicts where this is their first exposure to these addictive substances,” Leff says.
He now has made an emphasis to use non-narcotic treatments such as ibuprofen and Celebrex to manage pain, along with ice packs. Leff also tries to educate parents on ways to limit easy access to narcotics for adolescents in the household.
Photo courtesy of the Stand Project
Jenny Ledman, this year’s president of the Stand Project and an Upper Arlington parent, says marijuana and alcohol are also being widely abused.
“I think, in terms of what we’re hearing or seeing in Upper Arlington, it’s different because opiates aren’t the main thing, but one of several things,” Ledman says.
Ledman says the organization votes on two areas of focus: medication and prescription awareness and the laws.
The Stand Project attempts to bring awareness on how to safely store and dispense of all types of narcotics, as well as promote the idea that it is OK to ask a physician for less of a prescription or a different one entirely. Ledman says this is all done in order to have “fewer pills available on the street,” which will result in a “better chance of getting ahead of (the) issue.”
In respect to legislation regarding drugs and alcohol, the organization wants to inform others that laws against open containers or driving under the influence are simply in place to protect people.
The Stand Project has a few events in the next couple of months that will serve as community outreach sessions to help Upper Arlington residents recognize the problem facing their community.
The organization will hold Practical Parenting sessions on Jan. 17 and Feb. 21. These center on talking about parenting issues, such as dealing with a child’s stress or anxiety, that might lead to that child turning to substance abuse to try to cope.
Photo courtesy of the Stand Project
There will also be a Street Smart presentation on Feb. 28 from 6-9 p.m. in the Upper Arlington High School auditorium. Described as a “three-hour blitz” by Ledman, it will be facilitated by several former members of the Ohio Drug Enforcement Administration and will educate parents and residents on drugs and how kids might try to hide them.
Though still in its infancy, the Stand Project has made waves in the Upper Arlington community for advocating against drug addiction and abuse. With plans to get more students involved and the hiring of Hope Tzagournis, the new part-time project coordinator, the organization is well on its way of creating awareness for this important issue.
“I think one of the big goals of the Stand Project is just to increase awareness and, unfortunately this has been a subject that has been very taboo,” Leff says. “So we really want to change that culture … that this is a disease, and a treatable disease.”
Zachary Konno is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.
