HEROIN

Project F.A.I.T.H. Deserves Support

Heroin is in our streets, in our schools, in our homes, and - all too often
- - in the veins of our children.

According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, "rates of heroin
use among teenagers rose significantly among eighth, 10th, and 12th graders
during the 1990s." First-time users are getting younger, too, with the
average age of first use dropping from 27 in 1988 to 18 in 1996. High
school sophomores are the age group most at risk for trying heroin.

The price of the drug also has dropped, making it more affordable even as
it has become more pure.

Recent news reports from the Central Susquehanna Valley attest to the fact
that the highly addictive drug is here and readily available to our young
people.

By itself, heroin is dangerous, causing more deaths than any other illegal
drug in the United States - between 3,000 and 4,000 die from overdoses
yearly. Heroin users also are at high risk of diseases like HIV and
hepatitis because the most popular way to use the drug is by injection.

To make matters worse, addiction is a threat starting with the first time use.

Once addicted, users must inject heroin four to six times a day to stave
off the horrors of withdrawal. Forget school, forget jobs, forget family.
Users live for the drug - even while it is killing them.

Just as heroin users come from a wide variety of social and political
backgrounds, the solutions to the problem also must come from all corners
of society.

One such effort is Project F.A.I.T.H., which met for the first time Monday
in Sunbury. The group is made up of mothers of heroin users. Their stories
of lives and families destroyed by the drug are heartrending. Their main
message is keep children away from drugs. We should listen, and we should help.

Even in our generally permissive society, some things should be absolutely
taboo. Using heroin is one of them. It is just too dangerous and too costly
to users, their families and society.