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It Takes A Village

Five young people died of heroin overdoses in the Santa Clarita Valley in 2011, according to stats from the SCV Sheriff’s Station. But heroin isn’t the community’s only challenge when it comes to illegal or illicit drugs.

In early 2012, KHTS News reporter Stephen K. Peeples went on special assignment , going behind the scenes, talking to Santa Clarita Valley kids, parents and front-line professionals, to investigate what was really going on, why it was  happening, and what we as a community were doing about it.

Periodic updates traced the continued rise in the number of drug-related deaths during 2012. By the end of the year, 14 young people had died of overdoses, almost triple the number of 2011.

The good news: Only two people died from heroin overdoses in the first five months of 2013. That’s fewer than half the five who died in the same time period in  2012.

But that doesn’t mean the drug problem is going away. Drug and alcohol rehab counselors report seeing increased use of marijuana and methamphetamine in the first half of 2013.

Here are links to the “It Takes a Village” stories and related documents:

It Takes A Village, Part 1: Heroin Not The Only Drug Killing Our Kids (Feb. 29, 2012)

It Takes A Village, Part 2: Why Do Kids Turn To Drugs? (March 7, 2012)

It Takes A Village, Part 3: The Kids Aren’t All Right, But They’re Working On It (March 14, 2012)

It Takes A Village, Part 3a: Interview with Veronica J., Mindy M. and Tyler G. (March 14, 2012)

Podcast of Interview with Veronica J., Mindy M. and Tyler G.
KHTS-AM 1220 Studios, Canyon Country, March 3, 2012

Right-click here to download podcast.

It Takes A Village, Part 4: Every Mother’s Nightmare (March 21, 2012)

It Takes a Village, Part 5: Locals Unite Against Youth Drug Abuse in the SCV (March 28, 2012)

It Takes A Village, Part 6Series Update – Heroin, Spice Use On The Rise (August 25, 2012)

It Takes A Village Part 7: The Anti-Social Side Of Pranks And Social Media (December 14, 2012)

 Related Stories:

Suicide: A Permanent Solution To A Temporary Problem (June 4, 2012)

SCV Teens ‘Tell It Like It Is’ In Drug Symposium At ACTION Family Zone (December 3, 2012)

Santa Clarita Mayor, Rehab Experts Blast Urban Outfitters Rx Products (May 21, 2013)

Santa Clarita Heroin Deaths Down As ACTION Plans Sober Summer (June 2, 2013)

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Also see the City of Santa Clarita’s “Heroin Kills: The High is a Lie” page,
and the “Get Help” resources and links pages.