Authorities in Monmouth County brought in students from area educational institutions to help combat the fight against heroin and opioids.
FREEHOLD -- Students from educational institutions in Monmouth County joined officials Tuesday to brainstorm ways to fight the heroin and opioid problems plaguing the county.
Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden speaks at the Student Ambassadors For Heroin Use Prevention forum on April 25, 2017. In 2016, 164 people died of drug overdoses in Monmouth County, including 148 who died from heroin or opioids.
Those figures have steadily climbed since 2012, providing authorities with a stark reality: The fight against heroin and opioids isn't getting any easier.
Looking to find innovative ways to battle rising overdose death statistics, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden on Tuesday held the Student Ambassadors For Heroin Use Prevention forum, which brought students into the discussion.
"It's of the utmost importance that our adolescents and young adults, along with professionals, work together to provide new and innovative approaches, strategies and solutions," Golden said. "Through this initiative, we hope to inhibit the wave of opiate use, addiction and related deaths."
Students from Monmouth University and Brookdale Community College joined the discussion, along with students from the following high schools: Middletown, Manalapan, Keansburg, Howell, Holmdel, Wall Township, Asbury Park and West Long Branch.
After students had an information session, the unique event broke up into group sessions moderated by members of the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, the Monmouth County Superintendent of Schools, the state Department of Education and prevention and addiction specialists.
"We collectively came up with several strategies to address this issue," said Rachel Kuhlthau, a student at Wall High School. "Because kids think it's cool to do drugs, our groups created a slogan, 'Not Cool is Cool.' We also proposed to target middle school students about the dangers of drugs and want to make information and programs more available to all students."
Eli Avivi, a student at Manalapan High School, said his peers think getting parents involved in the discussion will be an effective way to address the heroin abuse problem in schools.
"This program was a great learning experience. The open dialogue and input from us as students will help make a difference," Avivi said.
According to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, 39 people in the county have died of a drug overdose in 2017 as of Wednesday. That's compared to eight deaths on highways and one homicide.
"We need to come up with strategies. It is tearing the fabric of our communities apart, and we need you to think outside the box," said Douglas Collier, Drug Initiative Coordinator & Law Enforcement Liaison of the Office of Attorney General, who was the featured speaker. "We don't have all the answers, and that's why it's important we hear from you, on what needs to be done."
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.