students heard from local leaders, like new york state senator sue serino and county executive marcus molinaro. - too many kids in dutchess county and the demons of addiction. - [katie] but substance abuse is not just limited to dutchess county. it's a nationwide issue. - no one is exempt. it's in the inner-city, it's in the suburbs, it's literally everywhere. - the prescription drugs is what the students are starting with. - they have access to their grandparents, to their parents, their neighbors parents. they have access to their medicine cabinets. and that's what's escalating the problem. - so there's stuff like oxycontin, codeine, other opioids that introduce them to heavier drugs later. - [katie] besides these so called gateway drugs, let's not forget there's also alcohol and tobacco. - most people know that cigarettes, tobacco, is bad for them, but they don't necessarily realize is that e-cigarettes are derived from tobacco. they contain nicotine and they contain cancer causing agents and we're gonna start seeing all sorts of things i'm sure. health effects from those as well. they are

students heard from local leaders, like new york state senator sue serino and county executive marcus molinaro. - too many kids in dutchess county are dying because of drug addiction is not just limited to dutchess county. it's a nationwide issue. - no one is exempt. it's in the inner-city, it's in the suburbs, it's literally everywhere. - the prescription drugs is what the students are starting with. - they have access to their grandparents, to their parents, their neighbors parents. they have access to their medicine cabinets. - and it's become almost like a social thing - so there's stuff like oxycontin, codeine, other opioids that introduce them to heavier drugs later. - [katie] besides these so called gateway drugs, let's not forget there's also alcohol and tobacco. - most people know that cigarettes, tobacco, is bad for them, but they don't necessarily realize is that e-cigarettes are derived from tobacco. they contain nicotine and they contain cancer causing agents that give it a few years, and we're gonna start seeing all sorts of things i'm sure. they are not a healthy alternative. -