By Cady Kuzmich
Gazette Reporter
Clifton Park — An educational community meeting focused on heroin and prescription opioid addiction and the resources available for individuals struggling with addiction will be held Thursday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Halfmoon Town Hall, according to a press release from the town.
The number of heroin-related fatalities in the United States has nearly tripled since 2010, according to the Center for Disease Control.
Heroin’s grip on Upstate New York is far-reaching. Between 2004 and 2013, heroin addiction among Upstate New Yorkers increased by 22 percent, according to the Southern Saratoga County Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council. That’s 86 percent higher than the spike in heroin-related treatments statewide in the same time frame.
Teens and individuals in their early twenties are especially at risk. Heroin use more than doubled among individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 in the last decade, according to the CDC.
The educational forum February 9 will outline the signs of addiction, the dangers of heroin and opioid use and the resources available for those struggling with addiction. Senator Kathleen Marchione, who sits on the Senate Task Force Committee on Heroin and Opioid Addiction, David Zon, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Albany District Office; Lieutenant Jeffrey Brown of Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office; Molly C. Boyd-Smith, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Toxicology at Albany Medical Center; James Norton and Janine Stuchin of the Saratoga County’s Prevention Council and Julie Ann Brennan, a family member of someone recovering from addiction will be a part of the panel discussion.
“Sheriff Zurlo and I are proud to co-sponsor this community forum. It will provide information, insight and resources that will help residents understand the heroin problem and how it impacts our community. Addiction can happen to anyone, any family, at any time. I invite all residents to join us for this free educational forum to help us find a solution,” said Halfmoon Supervisor Kevin Tollisen.
The event is free to the public. Those in attendance will have the opportunity to learn how to administer Narcan after the forum. Narcan is used to effectively reverse an overdose.
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