The issue of drug and alcohol abuse continues to impact our island and this week, Presiding Judge Alberto Lamorena of the Superior Court of Guam addressed the Mayors Council, urging local leaders to take action.

Among elected officials, our village mayors are the first responders as they are often the ones residents turn to when faced with problems.  And for Lamorena, one of the biggest problems in our villages is drug and alcohol abuse. “For years we’ve established what we call ‘treatment courts’. This is to address the issue, the severe problem that we’re facing here in the island: drug abuse and alcoholism," said Lamorena.

The Superior Court of Guam’s treatment courts work with agencies like the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center and Lighthouse Recovery to provide individuals with assistance in their sobriety journey. But there’s a problem—the system is overwhelmed. “It’s not doing well. Okay?” he said.

the treatment courts rely on federal funding, and because they prioritize quality over quantity, space is limited.  “So therefore, in the past we’ve been rejecting, turning away people, which I feel bad about, from getting the treatment that they need because we just don’t have the space," he said.

Judge Lamorena now calling on village mayors to join the effort to combat substance abuse, acknowledging that existing prevention programs have struggled to make an impact. “I know we’ve been trying to get a preventative program with DOE, but that doesn’t seem to be doing well either because the drug situation here on the island is not getting better, but getting worse," he said.

Lamorena also highlighting a troubling trend—while the cost of living rises, the price of drugs like methamphetamine continues to drop.he also emphasized that no village is immune from the crisis, regardless of location or size. “Just because you’re a mayor of a southern village doesn't mean ‘Oh, my residents are immune because we’re a smaller community and we look out for each other.’ But that’s not the case," he said.

With nearly half of cases the Attorney General’s Office filed last year being drug possession cases — Judge Lamorena says the courts are overwhelmed. 

His message? Guam needs a community-wide approach to tackle this crisis.

“It’s not going to happen overnight, but we need the help of everyone in our community," he said.