Pubdate: Sun, 13 Apr 2014 Source: Observer-Dispatch, The (NY) Copyright: 2014 The Observer-Dispatch. Contact: http://www.uticaod.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2297 FINDING NEW WEAPONS IN WAR ON HEROIN Anyone who has seen the ravages of addiction knows how devastating it can be. Programs that can help combat that need our full support because in one way or another, addiction takes a toll on us all. The latest epidemic is the opioid heroin. Opioid overdoses, including those from heroin, killed more than 2,000 New Yorkers in 2011 - double the number that died in 2004, according to the state attorney general's office. A main reason for its resurgence: Heroin is cheaper than the prescription drugs it often replaces. And plentiful. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: - -- Heroin-related calls to the Upstate Poison Center rose from 55 in 2010 to 193 in 2013 as of mid-November. - -- The number of people ages 12 to 49 who had used heroin in the past year rose from 373,000 in 2007 to 620,000 by 2011. - -- During that same period, the number of addicts rose from 179,000 to 369,000 and the number of first-time users rose from 106,000 to 178,000. Last year, at least 11 people in Oneida County died of heroin-related overdoses, according to the Oneida County Department of Health. A cursory glance at the daily police blotter makes it quite clear that heroin is rampant throughout our community. In March, ACR Health, a not-for-profit, community-based organization that addresses health issues, started a free program in nine counties, including Oneida and Herkimer, to train community members to administer naloxone, an "antidote" that can instantly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and restart the patient's breathing. And just last week, New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the Community Overdose Prevention (COP) program that will enable every state and local law-enforcement officer to carry naloxone. Funding to equip officers with naloxone and to train them to properly administer it will come from $5 million in joint federal-state criminal and civil money forfeited in connection with drug-related activity. Officials say it will be enough to equip and train every state and local officer in New York with a naloxone kit. That's money well spent. Best of all, it's money confiscated during drug busts or related activity, meaning that the dealers and addicts are "contributing" significantly to pay for treatment. Drug abuse and addiction cost taxpayers billions annually in preventable health care, law enforcement, crime and other costs, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Businesses lose valuable investments in employees who are addled by addiction, while families are torn apart. Meanwhile, a community's overall quality of life suffers. Helping addicts saves us money. But the real benefit is saving lives. If indeed that is our goal - and it most certainly should be - then we must take whatever steps are necessary to that end. Naloxone is a first step because it can be a kick-start for addicts to get into recovery. A bill in the state Legislature would dramatically increase the accessibility of naloxone. It was approved in the Senate unanimously late last month and is now in the Assembly, where it has the support of Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi, D-Utica. We recommend it be approved and sent to the governor for signing because it would allow doctors to write standing orders for naloxone so they don't have to be present when the drug is handed out. Clearly, preventing addiction is the first line of defense, and that begins with education. But battles are being lost, and we must use every weapon available to us to win this war. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D