Chappaqua Forum Addresses Perils of Heroin ‘Epidemic’
By Janine Bowen
The United States is currently in the grips of its worst drug epidemic as deaths from opioid are comparable with the number of deaths the country experienced at the height of the AIDS crisis.
To bring the severity of the problem to the public eye, Phoenix House hosted a town hall meeting at the Chappaqua Public Library on Tuesday night to discuss the efforts to combat the dilemma and what parents can do to help in the fight.
“It’s not something new, it’s not just something for jazz musicians, it’s affecting every single family, whether it’s directly to your own children or your significant others, your siblings, it’s across the world and it’s getting so far out of hand that we have to come together in a strong army to fight this,” said event moderator Jim Smith.
Phoenix House Chief Medical Officer Dr. Andrew Kolodny explained to the audience which packed the library’s theater for the discussion that the current opioid epidemic began in the mid 1990s when the use of prescription painkillers, such as OxyContin and Vicodin, became more common. As these pills were used to treat chronic but not severe pain, some patients became addicted and moved on to heroin because it is cheaper and easier to obtain.
Kolodny said the epidemic is most severe among the white population.
“To say that this epidemic is disproportionately white is an understatement,” he said. “It is striking how white this epidemic is. It’s even fair to say that it’s protective to be African-American or Latino.”
The opioid epidemic has had the strongest effect on people between the ages of 20 and 34, but Westchester County police detective Will Mauro said that the drug affects older users as well. He noted that the 50- to 70-year-old population, especially veterans, are struggling with opioid addiction but have fewer drug-related deaths because they use it more cautiously.
“I hate to use the term, but the older generation of people tends to respect the drug. They know what it’ll do to you. The younger generation who really don’t know, they want to keep getting that high,” Mauro said.
Contrary to popular belief, overdose deaths rarely come from spiked heroin, he said. Instead, younger users succumb to an overdose when they buy products of different purity levels from a new dealer and unknowingly take more than usual.
Mauro also told the crowd that while the heroin use preys on the younger white population, dealers are all ages and ethnicities. Several mug shots of Westchester residents arrested for dealing heroin were shown to the crowd, including a 17-year-old African-American female and a 68-year-old white woman who was dealing out of her home.
He also noted that doctors are contributing to the problem. Earlier last Tuesday, the Drug Enforcement Agency diversion group, which monitors suspicious prescription habits of doctors, arrested a physician at a Yonkers pain management center. The arrest followed months of surveillance that showed people throughout the tri-state area lining up to get pain pills.
Mauro, who has worked in narcotics since 2007, said the county has recently formed a Northern Westchester Narcotics Task Force comprised of 22 officers who focus primarily on heroin. So far this year, the task force has worked on 74 cases and has made 114 arrests.
Mauro said the county police’s first priority is cracking down on dealers rather than those who are in possession.
Police are able to handle the existing workload, but panelists at Tuesday’s event urged residents to be more aggressive to prevent new users.
Nan Miller, coordinator for Mount Kisco Partners in Prevention, urged parents to speak openly about drugs with their children and be involved in their lives by knowing their friends. Miller also suggested that parents speak to their children’s doctors about limiting the number of prescription pain pills. She also reminded parents to keep opioid-based medications out of reach of others and to bring leftover pills to one of the local drug take back events.
Kathryn Valencia, director of quality assurance at Lexington Center for Recovery, which has an office in Mount Kisco, said parents must keep an eye on their child for behavioral changes that could indicate drug use.
“Keep your eyes open,” Valencia said. “Look for the signs and symptoms, don’t ignore them because once you see them…it’s usually pretty late…in the game and now it’s a lifelong issue.”
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.