Sentinel
Paid for by Dave Carlson
The Shorewood
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Enterprise Publications • www.shorewoodsentinel.com
Vol. 17 No. 47
Fighting the good fight Communities target youth with new heroin-prevention program
By Sherri Dauskurdas Staff Reporter
D
ebates over economics and campaign reforms are a popular topic for discussion this month, but a greater, far more serious fight is afoot. In October, Will County surpassed its annual record of heroin deaths, reaching 31, with some 75 days still left in the year. Coroner Patrick O’Neill fears it could hit 50 by the year’s end. Last week at Joliet West High School, students from Shorewood and Joliet were introduced to a new heroinprevention program that will put it directly into the curriculum. The school plans to integrate heroin prevention into health classes, based on a partnership with the Robert Crown Center for Health Education, a Chicago area leader in heroin education. The project is designed to educate beyond the classroom, including, parents, teachers and siblings in the process. “It is an absolute shame that we lose so many young people,” Will County Executive Larry Walsh said. “We are hoping that we are putting together a program that we believe is going to be successful. And I’m so proud that my alma mater, Joliet Township High School, is leading the way.” Walsh, together with States
Attorney James Glasgow, helped address the school community about the new program, facilitated by Will County HELPS, the area’s heroin prevention initiative. Utilizing online resources, the classroom program leads students through real-life cases, painting the picture of the all too easy trip between prescription pain medicine and heroin. It depicts how a teen interacts with friends, at school, at home, and how the addiction manifests, and subsequently grows out of control. Other resources available through the program include information on opioids, their effects on the brain, risk factors and ways to start a conversation about heroin with a young person. Southwest suburban communities account for a third of the heroin deaths in the state this year, as this addictive, life-altering drug digs in to communities and schools. DuPage reported 59 seizures and undercover purchases in 2011. Naperville alone had 47 heroin arrests last year. Fueled by its low cost—less than $10 gets you high—and its newfound acceptance among young people—who see it less as a street drug and more of a substitute for prescription medicines like OxyContin or Vicodin—heroin is flying down the highways from Chicago’s West Side and into the hands of
Submitted Photo
A counsellor talks to JCHS students about the school’s new heroin prevention initiative.
our children. The deaths of so many, has brought heroin addiction out of the shadows. The alarming rate of growth has caused communities to take notice, and take aim, at dealers, users and sources of the drug. One of the most prevalent concerns about heroin is that it is incredibly and almost immediately addictive. Experts say that of the estimated 34,000 who will try heroin this year, 8,500 will become addicts,
usually after the first or second use. The drug follows no stereotypical trend, and walks no socioeconomic line. While men lead women two-one in heroin overdoses, victims have been white, black, Hispanic and ranged in age from teens to senior citizens. Certain areas within the Chicago-land area have become hotspots for heroin. Experts say distribution in the region has access to a steady supply
of high purity, white heroin at competitive prices from suppliers in Mexico and Asia. The addiction is pervasive as quantities of the drug head downstate and out of the St. Louis metropolitan area, creating urgent drug issues in central, southern and southwestern Illinois communities. To stop it in its tracks, knowledge is power. And experts say there needs to be See HEROIN, page 2