REALITY OF HEROIN

Awareness Of Overdose Deaths Is Important

Stereotypes are very hard to put aside. One such stereotype is that
hard drugs like heroin are common in such places as Newark and
Camden, but not in affluent Morris County. That is a falsehood.

2006 is only a little more than half over and there have been 18
drug-related deaths in Morris County. If that pace continues, it
would easily surpass last year's total of 22. A most recent victim of
heroin use was Holly Gillis, 21, of Hanover.

As friends gathered at the Gillis home, some said they were unaware
heroin was that much of a problem in Morris County. Needless to say,
even those familiar with the world of illicit drugs are going to be
surprised when a family member or close friend is a victim.

But there really isn't any reason to be surprised that illicit drug
use is a problem in the suburbs. It's been eight years sincethe Daily
Record did a series profiling heroin deaths in Morris County. Many of
the victims were young and not much different than Gillis.

If law enforcement had a magic solution to stop drug use, it would
have been used years ago. There always will be drug abuse. The hope
is that public awareness will alert family members and friends to the
danger signs of addiction.

Law enforcement authorities can help expand public awareness by
talking more openly about the problem. John Dangler, who was Morris
County Prosecutor in the late 1990s, publicized each drug overdose
death, simply because he wanted to make sure people knew there was a problem.

His successor, Michael M. Rubbinaccio, is less likely to do so.
Awareness is not a cure. But we feel publicizing details of
drug-related deaths as soon as possible is preferable to not doing
so. That could help puncture the myth that drug overdoses are solely
an urban problem.