Apr 1, 2016 By Suzanne Elliott 3 min read

Heroin is everywhere, even in Peters Township.

This was the message from a panel of experts who spoke about heroin and opiate addiction Thursday at a program held by the Peters Township Public Library and the League of Women Voters of Washington County at the Peters Township Middle School auditorium.

The impact of heroin and prescription drug addiction is alarming, said Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone. He told the audience of about 200 that there is one death in the United States every 20 minutes that can be attributed to these drugs.

“This is a public health crisis,” said Vittone, adding that between 2006 and 2014, the number of heroin-related deaths increased by 406 percent nationally.

“It was rare to have a heroin case 10 years ago,” he said. “Now, it’s not.”

Indeed. Statistics from the National Institute of Drug Abuse show that in 2011, 4.2 million Americans age 12 and older had used heroin at least once. It is estimated that 23 percent of the people who try the drug become dependent on it.

Washington County in 1992 had two drug overdose deaths, Vittone said. Last year, there were 73 overdose deaths in the county. Overall, more than 200 county residents have died from drug overdoses since 2011, he said.

“We are not talking about disposable human beings,” he said.

As proof that Peters Township is not immune, Deputy Police Chief Douglas Grimes showed the audience a slide of open packets of heroin seized from juveniles.

He said parents need to be aware of changes in their children’s behavior and to look for telltale signs of drug use, such as constricted pupils. Chronic users may develop collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, constipation and gastrointestinal cramping, pulmonary complications and liver or kidney disease.

“This drug will change a person from anything you can imagine,” said Grimes, adding that all the addict cares about is the next high and will resort to most anything to get it.

Pennsylvania leads the country in the number of prescription drugs sold, said Holly Livingston, who is the lead trainer for Student Assistance Programs in schools. The program encourages administrators, teachers and parents to work together to identify and help students who may be suffering from drug addiction.

“We have a generation that has been desensitized to prescriptions,” said Livingston, adding that the number of women abusers is growing. “We start with a legitimate issue (sports injury) and it gets out of hand.”

She said 86 percent of students who went through the SAP program sought treatment for their drug problem.

It is also important to treat addiction as a disease, said Cheryl Andrews, executive director of the Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission.

“You need to talk about addiction as a disease,” she said. “It knows no boundaries.”