MIDDLEBORO — Vaping is one of the most common forms of drug use among high school students, according to Middleboro Matters, a coalition that aims to bring down drug use among minors. 

Vaping has become more common among young adults because of the way the products are marketed and made available in a variety of appealing flavors, said Keoscha Pina, who works  as a prevention coordinator for Plymouth Area Substance Abuse Prevention Collaborative. 

The number of high school students using e-cigarettes increased from 1.5% to 20.8% from 2011 to 2018, according to data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey. 

Middleboro Matters’ mission is to strategically prevent underage substance misuse, said Pina. Following its coalition meeting on Thursday, Oct. 17, the group installed a new sign on Middleboro’s town hall lawn. 

The sign was put up to let residents know there are resources in town to help prevent teens from harmful addictions, according to Pina. 

Another product teens are using frequently are oral nicotine pouches, she said. Middleboro Matters is specifically focused on the misuse of drugs such as marijuana, nicotine and alcohol among young people. 

The coalition plans to gather data to measure the number of high school students in the area that are experimenting with substance use, Pina said. 

Middleboro Matters is also focused on promoting mental health awareness and collecting data on how many students are prescribed medication for anxiety and depression. 

Together, this data will be used  to create a “regional profile” representing the trends for substance use and mental health among young people in the area, she said. 

The data provides important information for planning health education and risk prevention programs, Pina noted. 

Middleboro Matters recently received a $375,000 Partnerships for Success grant to help prevent addiction among youth and promote mental health education among students in grades five through 12, Pina said. 

For community members struggling with addiction, Middleboro now offers drop-in hours every first and third Wednesday of the month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 251 East Main St., Middleboro. 

There, they will have access to in-person recovery coaching, free narcan and other harm reduction tools as well as connection to treatment and supplies, according to Middleboro’s Mental Health Director Josh Porter. 

In an effort to make the resources that Middleboro Matters Coalition offers more accessible to adolescents, the group will meet moving forward at Middleboro High School. 

Middleboro has lost 55 community members to drug overdoses over the last eight years, according to data gathered by the town in remembrance of International Overdose Awareness Day in August.  

In Middleboro, there have been nine fatal and 34 non-fatal overdoses detected between 2022 and 2024, as reported by Plymouth Area Substance Abuse Prevention Collaborative.