GOSHEN – Spring and summer are a time for families to celebrate as their children graduate from high school and transition to college or post-high school careers, but those months can also end in tragedy, and Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler is hoping to prevent that by enlisting the aid of school district officials, parents and students.
“Too many children use illegal substances, leading many to alcohol or drug abuse or dependence, to physical fights, or to serious injuries or deaths from motor vehicle accidents,” Hoovler said in a letter to all superintendents of schools in the county.
He said those incidents occur more frequently each year as the opiate epidemic continues and have gotten worse during the past year of COVID-19. “This year, more than ever, we must be vigilant in protecting our students from those dangers, due to recent legislation decriminalizing marijuana, legislation that, in our opinion, does not provide sufficient means to keep marijuana out of the hands of our children.”
The DA said fighting childhood alcohol and drug use is a priority of his office and he urged the superintendents to share his letter with their students and their families, “so that they may understand some of the legal consequences of drug and alcohol use and abuse by children.”
Hoovler also noted Orange County’s social host law which imposes criminal penalties on anyone 18 or older who knowingly allows underage drinking on premises under their control, or who fails to take steps to stop underage drinking once it has discovered on those premises.
