Time to stop epidemic in its tracks

Drugs have the power to destroy lives and families like a force of nature. But unlike the sudden destruction brought on by a tsunami or earthquake, the horrible impacts that result from drug abuse are 100 percent preventable.

Here in the Mat-Su, drug abuse is a persistent and – according to experts – growing concern that demands our full attention. Of particular worry to health care providers is what appears to be a rapidly increasing rate of heroin abuse that mirrors a national trend. According to statistics provided by the State of Alaska, the number of heroin overdoses tripled in the five-year period between 2008 and 2013, and the cost to Alaskans increased sixfold.

It’s a nationwide problem that has drawn attention from the highest levels of government. On Monday, President Obama announced a new strategy to address the issue. Obama’s plan focuses on treating addicts like a public health problem rather than a criminal one.

The idea is that simply throwing users into jail does little to solve the underlying problem of addiction. We think this is a good mindset, and applaud the president’s efforts to change the government’s tack on drug abuse. The “War on Drugs” launched in the 1980s has clearly failed to achieve its objectives of stemming drug abuse, and we think it’s high time new strategies were developed to get people off drugs rather than throw them behind bars.

This growing epidemic can be seen quite clearly here in the Mat-Su, where police have their hands full with property crimes and violence associated with drug abuse. This couldn’t have hit home harder than in June, when a recovering heroin addict was murdered in Houston, and a known drug offender was arrested for the crime.

Fortunately, people have begun to take notice of this scourge on our community and are trying to take action. Today (August 18) in Wasilla at 4:30 p.m., the homeless advocacy group MY House will host a planning meeting for an upcoming community forum on the topic of heroin abuse. The idea is to host a meeting in the near future during which community members can speak out about heroin abuse and discuss ways to reverse the effects it’s having here. Anyone who would like to help plan for the forum is welcome to attend.

We hope many of those strategies involve taking a different approach toward heroin abusers than the status quo. Although the criminal justice system must be involved – especially when drug users commit violent crimes and steal to feed their habits – there are other measures that can be far more effective at combating the toll heroin takes on the lives of abusers and their families.

These strategies include things like needle exchanges, expanded treatment programs instead of jail time for addicts, stiff punishment for big-time dealers and wider availability of the drug Naloxone (which can reverse an overdose when administered in time). These measures have been shown to have a positive impact on changing behaviors and helping solve the underlying problems of abuse.

We strongly support the actions of those in our community who are working toward curbing this epidemic, which affects all of us because of the negative impacts drug abusers have on public health and safety.

It’s time to stop this epidemic in its tracks.