MY TURN By Sgt. John-Paul Beebe, Sparta Police

The Greek philosopher Plato once wrote, “The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things the most shameful and vile.” Despite the advantages Sparta offers and the education by both parents and teachers, some of the youth here have been conquered by themselves. They have surrendered their lives to a small, postage-stamp-size wax paper fold which contains a tiny amount of white powder. These folds are called “decks” or “bags.” Heroin was first synthesized from morphine in 1874 and became widely used in the early 1900s. Physicians were unaware of heroin’s potential for addiction. The first comprehensive control of heroin in the U.S. occurred with the Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914. Heroin currently falls into Schedule I of the Controlled Substance Act, based on its potential for abuse and its lack of accepted medical use. Many studies and surveys paint a grim portrait for both grammar and high school students and heroin use. As alarming as these numbers are, they are not a true reflection of Sparta. What is relevant and alarming to the Sparta Township Police Department and should be to every citizen, are the medical calls associated with heroin overdoses and arrests connected with this drug. What was once thought of as an inner city problem has now weaved its way into the core of suburbia. Heroin addiction does not discriminate. It breaches all social and ethnic divides and is very affordable at first taste. In our community, it is mostly prevalent with teens and young adults, although this department have dealt with addicts on a wide range of ages. There was once a cardboard sign hanging in the front window of the old Sparta Police Department that read “Drug users are criminals too.” This sign invoked some angry debate. Although addiction is considered a disease, there is an argument that drug possession is a victimless crime. Such an argument is neither truthful nor grounded in reality. Within the Sparta Police Department, officers know drug abuse is not a victimless crime. In addition to the destruction an addict bestows on their families and themselves, there is collateral crime. Most burglaries, forgeries, shopliftings and thefts in Sparta can be directly attributed to heroin addiction. In 2009 the Sparta Police Department investigated 203 drug related incidents that resulted in an arrest. These are just a few, all right here in Sparta Jan. 7 - Two 21-year-olds arrested for possession of 70 bags of heroin and syringes. Jan. 22 - A 25-year-old found to be in possession of 18 bags of heroin and syringes Feb. 17 - A 22-year-old and a 20-year-old in possession of syringes and 15 bags of heroin. Oct. 9 - An 18-year-old arrested and more than 80 bags of heroin seized at the scene. On Oct. 29 - an 23-year-old arrested for distributing oxycotin within 500-feet of the Mohawk Avenue School. A bag of heroin sells for approximately $5 on the streets of Newark or Paterson. In Sparta, it costs between $10 and $20. As the addiction grows, so does the cost. Before long it takes more and more heroin just to keep from getting dope sick — condition that includes weakness, aching bones, locking joints and the inability to sleep or eat. Ten or 15 bags a day causes money, as well as personal belongings, to disappear fast— their own as well as those of their families, friends and neighbors. The personal choice and sacrifice parents have made to live in a town like Sparta to protect their children from the dangers of the cities is of no concern to an addict. They will travel to the worst sections of Newark, Paterson and New York City to buy heroin from common street thugs and gang members. No one sets out in life to become an addict but the plain hard truth is, it starts from a personal choice. None of us can change the world but you can change your little slice of it. The legacy of our community rests in the personal choices our youth make today. Editor’s note: Sgt. Beebe wrote this column after reading our series of articles about drug use in Sussex County.