Marc Hoover
Last Saturday, my wife and I were out on our weekly grocery shopping trip. While standing in the checkout line, we heard a cashier in the next line frantically trying to get a manager on the store phone. Our cashier said that someone had overdosed on heroin in the restroom. Within minutes, police and an ambulance had arrived. The paramedics revived the customer and loaded him into their ambulance.

A day later, I read an article about a young pregnant woman battling her heroin addiction. The article mentioned how insurance companies have made it difficult for her to get the medication she needs to stay off heroin. Unfortunately, Narcan, Methadone, Black Tar and Smack have become household words. Until a few years ago, this wasn’t the case. Had you asked me about Narcan six months ago, I would have told you it was a new metal band instead of a product used to save heroin addicts.

The man we saw getting taken away was likely a brother, father, uncle, friend or son. He didn’t look menacing. Just some unfortunate soul unable to overcome his addiction. While some may think helping an addict is a waste of time, what if it were your dad or son? Could you give up on him? According to a report from the Ohio Department of Health, heroin overdoses are rising. In Ohio, heroin overdose deaths increased from 697 in 2012 to 983 in 2013. Prescription opiate overdoses also increased from 680 in 2012 to 726 in 2013.

Heroin is an addictive opiate that can hook a user immediately. Users can either snort, smoke or inject it. Ohio officials say the heroin crisis knows no boundaries. Heroin affects Ohioans of all races, social standing, age and gender. It also destroys families. A family law attorney had once told me that she has seen countless people lose their children because of heroin. Children have become collateral damage.

Granted, the press is giving heroin much media attention. But I am not gullible enough to believe people will stop using heroin.

Educating the public about heroin can only help so much. I definitely don’t have a solution to this deadly epidemic, but I know the problem will continue to get worse. Local citizens, the medical community, law enforcement and local government agencies certainly have an uphill battle against this deadly scourge. For the sake of our children and grandchildren, it’s definitely a fight that we must win.

Marc is a grandfather and longtime Clermont County resident. Visit his author page at http://www.lifewithgrandpa.com and blog at http://www.wisegrandpa.com.