Lindenhurst task force to eye drug, alcohol use

The Mayor of Lindenhurst Village has formed a task force to address drug and alcohol use among village youth.

Mayor Thomas Brennan’s effort will examine what many see as a growing substance abuse problem in the community. In the past year, two groups have formed in the village — Lindenhurst Community Cares Coalition and Clean Up Lindenhurst — with drug and alcohol abuse as a primary target.

According to a statement made by Brennan, the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Alcohol & Drug Use is not looking to “duplicate what’s already being done, but instead to help coordinate the efforts of the various groups and to lend an official arm to those groups.”

He said the task force’s goal is to “raise community awareness about local youth substance abuse and to make recommendations for community interventions to reduce youth use.”

According to Brennan, the task force will be made up of a coalition of residents and individuals from a wide spectrum of agencies and organizations, including schools, churches, local government, law enforcement and business and civic groups.

The task force will hold organizational and public meetings, the mayor said, and will maintain a website with updates on its work as well as drug and alcohol resources.