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02/23/2017 11:08 AMArmed with what the New York Times has described as "...a new weapon in the war against bad choices: laughter: irreverent laughter," actor, comedian, poet and author John Morello brings his powerful message on the dangers of drug abuse to Branford Thursday, March 9, 7 p.m., during a free public performance (appropriate for grade seven and up) at Walsh Intermediate School (WIS).
Presented by the Branford membership of the Opiate Prescription-drug Education Network (OPEN), the hope is to reach out to students, parents and the Branford community to help address a crisis of prescription opioid abuse and heroin addiction. In addition to his evening discussion at WIS on March 9, Morello will also talk with the entire Branford High School (BHS) student body during class assemblies earlier that day.
Headed by Peter Cimino, Executive Director of Branford Counseling Center (BCC), OPEN consists of a coalition of community members and professionals, including those from BCC, Branford Police Department (BPD), Branford Fire Department and Branford Public Schools. Fueled by a $10,000 grant received from AT&T in 2016, OPEN has been reaching out to the community with efforts including a survey to gather input and by producing brochures, video and other vehicles to help drive education and awareness. Morello's March 9 talks represents the first public event presented by OPEN.
"OPEN is a really fine gathering of folks who have deep and strong connections not only with the young people of our community, but with our community in general. Instead of looking the other way, we're taking this head-on," said OPEN committee member the Rev. Bill Keane, who will emcee the March 9 evening.
Keane is also BPD Chaplain and pastor of Branford's First Baptist Church.
In 2016, Branford held a community discussion, gathered by State Rep. Sean Scanlon, to hear concerns, get input and share insight from experts (see the story here ). Later that year, the state adopted new legislation to address several areas of the crisis; read more here .
Keane said Morello's visit to Branford will amplify a message that could save a life, through Morello's unique way of reaching out to youth and their families who may become tangled in this deadly issue.
"It's a way of looking ahead and being proactive," Keane said. "So instead of just hearing bad news of what someone has done, it's about preparing people who are likely to go down this road."
Keane said he is very aware that Branford youth are not immune to being lured toward these dangers and potentially experiencing overdose emergencies.
"I deal with this as Branford police chaplain. Our police are called in, and our EMT's and firefighters," said Keane.
As evidenced by police reports, illegal drugs are in the community. As recently as February 7, a Branford man was arrested by East Haven Police after a K-9 team located a large amount of drugs, including 37 bags of heroin, in his vehicle (see the story here ). Between January, 2014 and April, 2016, at least four heroin-related deaths occurred in Branford, including a 19 year-old in 2016, according to BPD.
Many young people get on the wrong path by experimenting with prescription opioids, creating an addiction which can easily spiral to heroin use and in some cases lead to overdose and even death.
"The relationship between the misuse of opiate prescription drugs like OxyContin or oxycodone has a direct relation to the use and addiction of heroin. We've seen that in our community. Folks are using heroin and have lost their lives," said Keane. "A lot of people don't realize there is a relationship between those two things. (Prescription opioids) get to be expensive, so they very often switch to cheaper heroin, which is now being made even more deadly with fentanyl."
In 2015, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a nationwide alert in response to a surge in overdose deaths from heroin laced with fentanyl. A synthetic drug, fentanyl looks like heroin and can be up to 100 times more deadly than heroin. It takes 30 milligrams of heroin to cause a lethal dose. Just three milligrams of fentanyl will kill.
Fentanyl is wreaking havoc in Connecticut including increasing death tolls. In 2015, statewide overdose deaths rose by 27 percent, claiming the lives of 723 people; of which 450 died from heroin and 107 from fentanyl. Compare that to 2012 state figures of 86 overdose deaths statewide, with just one from fentanyl.
"At lot of our young people do not see the same potential pipeline between playing around with opioids from a prescription bottle to heroin laced with fentanyl," said Keane.
That's where Morello's talks on March 9 are hoped to have an impact.
"John has a gift of speaking to folks in a way that's inviting, engaging and non-threatening. He tells stories and has life experiences to share," said Keane. "When you engage people on those levels, using irony, using real-life examples, using humor; you get their attention on a much deeper level than just an intellectual unfolding of facts."
OPEN committee member and Branford Board of Education Chairman Michael Krause noted Morello is returning to town, having recently performed at WIS (in late 2016) for the entire eighth grade class through a program organized by the WIS administration.
"The presentation was amazing and one of the reasons we invited him back, [in order] to invite the community as well as having him present to our high school kids," said Krause.
A Detroit (MI) native raised in Boston (MA), Morello has been engaging schools and communities nationwide for the past 12 years, sharing his message on topics including drugs, depression, diversity and bullying. Once a high-school dropout, Morello earned his BA in Theatre Arts. His life experience ranges from an upbringing in a destructive family environment to teaching at a treatment center for youth battling self-harm and self-medication. He's best-known for his 2012 one-man show, "Dirt," on substance abuse and choices.
At http://www.johnmorello.com/, Morello's biography notes, "...in school environments where many speakers condescend, yell, or mimic the pop culture of youth in an attempt to 'relate,' here is one man telling his story in a way that respects his audience." Described as,"...both humorous and touching," the bio also notes Morello's discussion is "...an honest conversation about tough issues [and] a story which reminds us of the power of live performance and illustrates our connection to all around us."
Keane said he hopes any and all interested members of the public come out to hear Morello at WIS on March 9.
"Certainly, we are focusing on parents, but education is something you never want to limit, especially when it's about effecting positive life outcomes" Keane said. "This is an issue that affects all of us. We want to this event to be a catalyst of new understanding; so someone will look back 10 years from now and say, 'That changed my mind. When given opportunity to try this drug, I made a strong choice.'"