NEPA heroin epidemic everybody's business
Already this year, heroin has been blamed for 22 deaths in Pittsburgh, and recently it took the life of Oscar-winning actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
Last month the attorney general of Pennsylvania stated that heroin deaths in Western Pennsylvania are "indicative of the very real threat heroin poses in rural communities across the Commonwealth."
Once thought of as an urban/low-income drug, heroin now takes center stage with our young generation in rural America, including Northeast Pennsylvania. Heroin is now here in Wayne County. The Wayne County District Attorney's Drug Task Force is taking action against this problem, and you can too.
Heroin is an opioid drug made from morphine. The common opinion is that the rise of heroin use stems from an addiction to pain medication such as Percocet, Vicoden and Oxycodone.
Pain pills, once widely available, have become expensive and more difficult to obtain due to a nationwide crackdown on prescription pill abuse. The cost of a bag of heroin can be less than half the cost of a single prescription pain pill, thus, heroin has become a frequent substitute.
Unlike pills, there is no way to know the dosage amount of heroin since it is typically "cut" or mixed with other drugs and substances. Many of the drug's overdose fatalities are due to unknown purity factors.
Heroin users report a surge of euphoria, sometimes referred to as a "rush," when the drug is delivered to the body by inhaling, smoking or injecting it. Regular use of heroin builds tolerance and dependence. A user needs more of the drug to reach the same high and to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
When someone becomes addicted, it creates a change in the brain that may cause chronic relapsing and high-risk drug-seeking, regardless of consequences.
Heroin reaches smaller communities like our own when large quantities of the drug are purchased in cities, such as Newark and Philadelphia, then transported to small towns. Drug use and sales lead to an increase in other crimes such as thefts, burglaries and driving under the influence of controlled substances. These crimes invade our sense of safety and security, which is why immediate action is needed.
In February the Wayne County District Attorney's Drug Task Force launched a countywide effort to attack heroin and illegal prescription pain pill use and sale.
The task force actively pursues those who sell heroin and illegal pain pills in our community and once caught, distributors are vigorously prosecuted.
The hard work of the drug task force enabled the district attorney's office to convict more than 20 felonies in 2013 for drug crimes.
A proactive approach to education on opiate use and addiction is underway, not only with this article, but also with public awareness via open speaking events and in-school education on the dangers of this drug.
The District Attorney's Drug Task Force is also promoting community awareness programs to inform the public on how to spot crime in their communities. It has provided an accessible and anonymous tip line via texting, calling or emailing information about drug activity in our area. Suspicious activity such as seeing a stranger enter a neighbor's house when they aren't home or observing someone peering into parked cars in a parking lot, needs to be reported. Make an immediate report to 9-1-1 to describe suspicious activity.
Anyone with information about criminal drug activity in our area can text it to 570-391-0657 or email email@example.com with complete anonymity.