HEROIN

Efforts To Rid Area Of Drug Meet Mixed Results

It has been more than a year since The Daily Item first took an in- depth
look at the explosion of heroin use in the Central Susquehanna Valley.

A year later, the results of personal, community and law-enforcement
efforts to rid the area of heroin are mixed.

There have been some success stories: Several addicts profiled in last
year's series are clean. Law enforcement actions, including the seizure of
120 bags of heroin in Sunbury late last week, have cut into some of the
supply of this terribly addictive drug.

The good news, however, comes tempered with signs that the problem cannot
be "wished" away. Heroin increasingly appears to be the drug of choice for
a certain segment of the area's young people. Unable to sustain productive
lives while using the drug, addicts often resort to crime.

In Snyder County, for example, five of seven recent armed robberies
involved addicts searching for drugs or the money to buy drugs.

Of all the addictive substances floating in and around society today,
heroin is the most disturbing.

By mimicking the brain's pleasure-producing chemicals, heroin short-
circuits normal human behavior, replacing love with greed and ambition with
apathy. Left unchecked, heroin first destroys its users, then their
families, quickly followed by their communities. Each small white packet
that arrives from New York, Philadelphia or Reading is a threat to life,
liberty and happiness for every Valley resident.

Police, prosecutors and prison guards have a role to play in combating
heroin trafficking. Doctors, therapists and counselors have a role to play
in healing those wounded by the drug. The front lines of the drug war,
however, are drawn in each child's home from an early age.

The main weapons are not harsh language and unreasonable expectations.
Instead, parents and community members can lead children away from
destructive lifestyles by setting a good example and by remaining involved
in their everyday lives. Parents also must make a conscious effort to warn
children - forcefully and consistently - that illegal drugs are illegal for
very good reasons.

In every life there are choices to make. Heroin is the absolute wrong
choice. Young people need to be equipped to make the right choice.