Drug free communities (DFC) support program - the borough of pompton lakes (PL) is located in passaic county, new jersey

As of the 2010 US census, 11,097 hardworking, family focused, caring residents live within our 3.2 square mile borders. IT was once headquarters to general george washington and our most notable resident was the famous director cecil b. Demille. As wikipedia describes, PL is an outer-ring suburb of new york city, located approximately 20 miles northwest of midtown manhattan. With such a close proximity to one of the world?s largest cities, some may assume PL is a bustling urban suburb, but IT is not. PL is a small suburban community, with a quaint down town and easy access to three rushing rivers, the ramapo, pequannock and wanaque, as well as a large lake and numerous hiking trails through the mountains located in our backyard. Formed on february 26, 1895, PL was the first borough to be formed in passaic county. Like most small communities, PL is largely based around organized longstanding events, including high school sports, senior citizen gatherings, and various group activities organized by the PL recreation committee. There is a public library, with regularly scheduled reading groups and one of the area?s largest catholic churches, ST. Mary's, is located directly across the street from borough hall. There is a large well-used youth/teen center, which has many dances and events for our youth. Pompton day, the town's major end-of-summer event, takes place every labor day weekend, with thousands of residents attending. Other popular town events are the holiday stroll, memorial day parade, and trick-or-treating downtown. PL has long established traditions that are organized and attended by multiple generations of community members. Unfortunately, along with many of our great community based groups and organizations, PL is home to a history of few organizations that have long since disbanded in other communities throughout NJ. These groups consider themselves as local fraternity based service organizations. Established almost 50 years ago, these started as clubs that were connected to our high school and were comprised of student members from PL and surrounding communities. Unlike most high school clubs, members stayed active with many adult members well into their 60S. Similar to other adult organizations, these fraternities have numerous alcohol related celebrations. Youth fraternity members have been known to participate in these celebrations, permitted, and even encouraged to drink. The long history and past popularity of these fraternities is deeply engrained in the culture of our community, and due to the fraternities making the unhealthy choice easier IT further becomes the community norm.another equally as dangerous norm is beginning to take hold, the use of marijuana and its derivatives among our youth. Most of our community is aware of the lingering possibility of the legalization of marijuana, residents are concerned about the opening of a local CBD store and vape store in our small downtown. Most of the residents do not realize the large shift in our community related to marijuana. Driven by confusing messages regarding marijuana and a national push to legalize, the perception of risk among our youth is decreasing at alarming rates. Similar to the frequent underage drinking condoned by our entrenched community-based fraternity traditions, a culture supportive to marijuana use has opened shop right in our downtown. The pompton lakes prevention coalition (plpc) has dedicated its work to foster a drug-free community and establish a new culture and tradition that makes the healthy choice for our youth the more popular choice. The plpc educates community members, increasing health and wellness, reducing stigma, and providing youth an opportunity to express themselves in healthy, positive ways.