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February 28, 2017
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Forum discusses drug epidemic Shippensburg community looks for answers as drug epidemic sweeps Pennsylvania
tion center located in Harrisburg. The reason for the epidemic, panAsst. News Editor elists explained, is unneeded prescriptions, location and mindsets. In 2016, 3,500 Pennsylvanians Before 1996, narcotics were rarely died due to prescription overdoses. used in the healthcare industry, acAs a result of the growing number cording to DeLone. In 1996, Purdue of drug users in Pennsylvania, the pharmaceuticals introduced oxycostate hosted a drug education fo- done and marketed it as a nearly rum at Shippensnon-addictive drug burg University on for chronic pain “Awareness is the Thursday. that stayed in the very first step.” Local, state and body for a long national leaders time. The company –Lou Barletta, gathered at the Cedmade $1.1 million U.S. Congressman dia Union Building annually by 2000. to inform students, Last year, faculty and members of the commu- enough prescriptions were written nity of the dangerous drug problem for every person in the United States Pennsylvania communities face. to possess a one-month supply of The forum was hosted by U.S. narcotics. Eighty percent of heroin Rep. Lou Barletta and Pennsylvania addictions started with prescription State Rep. Mark Keller. The event’s medication. moderator was RJ Harris from Har“The opioid epidemic is the only risburg’s WHP 580 radio station. epidemic that was started by the Other panelists included Dr. Car- pharmaceutical company and proprie DeLone, Holy Spirit Medical agated by the healthcare industry,” Group Director; David Freed, Cum- DeLone said. berland County District Attorney; Many individuals obtain opioids Charles Hall, Cumberland Coun- for free from friends or family with ty coroner; psychologist Kenneth leftover prescriptions, Martz said. To Martz; Fred Scott, Shippensburg combat this, 580 medicine take-back chief of police; and Krisin Varner, di- boxes have been placed throughout rector of Training and Advocacy from the commonwealth, including one at the RASE Project, a drug rehabilita- SU’s police station. So far 227,000
Shannon Long
Shippensburg Chief of Police Fred Scott explains why Shippensburg is vulnerable to drug activity. Members of the panel shared ways to get drugs off of the street and end its abuse.
Photos by Kayla Brown
A panel of community members and government officials address the factors leading to drug abuse. The panelists answered the audience’s questions on how drugs are being spread through the state and provided suggestions of how to help drug users manage addiction. pounds of unneeded medications have been collected in Pennsylvania. Many panelists named Shippensburg’s location as a reason for its developing drug problem. Interstate 81 is a corridor for drugs coming from Harrisburg, Baltimore and Philadelphia, according to Scott. Young people who use drugs will come in to the borough, Scott said, and this puts a burden on the nine-person police department. Freed said small groups of people that get involved with heroin go to cities such as Philadelphia to pick up the drugs. In some cases, a member of the group will die, overdose or get arrested and the group will break up. “When we knew, in central Pennsylvania, that this had reached a new level was when the for-profit drug dealers moved here and located here to start selling heroin,” Freed said. To break an addiction to heroin or opioids, Varner said a change in lifestyle is necessary. It takes a year to 18 months in long-term recovery for an individual’s brain to heal. Varner said the importance of treating someone with an addiction is the
same as treating someone with a brain disease. There are currently three recovery centers in Cumberland County: Harbor Here in Shippensburg, Just for Today in Lemoyne and the RASE Project in Carlisle. “People, until they’re actually affected by it, usually don’t learn about it,” Varner said. Martz encouraged the audience to purchase Naloxone, a drug that can reverse the affects of an opioid overdose. The drug attaches to the same receptors as the opiate and subsequently reverses the sensation, allowing the individual to breathe again, DeLone said. Naloxone, however, wears off after 20 minutes and requires additional consumption to prevent an overdose. Barletta reiterated the importance of public awareness about the crisis facing the community. “Awareness is the very first step, Barletta said. “That’s why we’re doing this. It’s to bring awareness to our communities so we can fight this together.”
Opioid and Heroin Facts •
In 2016, drug overdose was the leading cause of accidental death in the United States.
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Four out of five new heroin users started their addiction by abusing prescription medication.
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About 32 percent of individuals who use heroin will later develop an opioid addiction.
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Every day 580 people in the United States initiate heroin use.
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In 2015, prescription pain relievers caused 20,101 overdose deaths.
Sources: American Society of Addiction Medicine and Department of Health and Human Services