OVERDOSES ARE OUR TRAGEDY; HELP IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY

PEOPLE ARE dying from drug overdoses. That news has become so common
that the reports tend to fade into the background for some people. It
becomes wallpaper, just the tragedy of "other" people.

It's unfortunate that anyone would become so calloused that they
would have no empathy for the deaths of people. And these aren't
strangers; these victims represent a cross section of the people who
live in Luzerne County. Yes, some might be transients, but many
others are longtime residents who have jobs, homes and families. They
are our neighbors; they are part of our community.

In Freeland, a 25-year-old man died Wednesday from what is believed
to be a drug overdose. A heroin overdose is suspected by Luzerne
County Coroner Dr. John Consalvo. It will take time for Consalvo to
determine the cause of Wednesday's death and others recently, but it
is feared the recent wave of deaths locally is related to a deadly
mix of heroin and fentanyl - a narcotic painkiller. The mix has been
causing drug overdose deaths across the country.

It's sadder still if some people feel these victims got what they
deserved. If six people died in the past month for others reason -
pool drowning, dog bite, fireworks - people would care. But because
drugs are illegal, these victims are painted with the broad brush of disrepute.

For whatever reason, these victims, these neighbors of ours, have
become addicts, caught in a tragic spiral. And because the drug
epidemic has been ongoing for years and seems to be claiming more
people right now, it cries for more attention.

The drug and alcohol institute proposed for Luzerne County Community
College seems like the right measure of effort. A proposed
feasibility study for the institute was announced Tuesday by Luzerne
County Commissioner Greg Skrepenak. The people of Luzerne County need
to know more about the institute and how it will fit into LCCC's
mission before any endorsement, but there might be value in
Skrepenak's claim that the area needs a central location to collect
and dispense the latest research on treatment, prevention and usage.
Commissioners will vote on conducting the $5,000 study at next week's
commissioner meeting.

Will this institute focus on addiction, prevention, enforcement
and/or treatment? The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, for example, emphasizes education, particularly on
the street, to prevent deaths from the heroin/fentanyl mix.

It's clear we need to do more if we're going to find the answers. And
we won't prevent our neighbors from dying as long as we see them as
the tragedy of someone else.