Kentucky is the state that has the largest number of heroin deaths. The second state? Pennsylvania.

Lisa Wolff of The Center for Humanistic Change (CHC) told this statistic, as well as others, to attendees at the March 28 Whitehall Township Crime Watch meeting. Wolff presented just one of CHC’s programs, Heroin and Opioid Prevention Education (HOPE), which engages community members to reflect on what is happening in our schools and communities today and to address life’s challenges.

The changes around the country affect attitudes and perceptions here at home, so it’s important to educate members of our communities about the pitfalls and dangers of drug use and abuse and the effects of use on health, relationships and life, Whitehall Township Bureau of Police informed The Press.

The HOPE program, created by Lehigh County a year-and-a-half ago because of the growing heroin and opioid epidemic in Lehigh County and throughout the state of Pennsylvania, focuses on prevention, Wolff said. The program was originally designed for adults, but the program’s educators now have created programs for students.

“The percentage of heroin users who start out using prescription drugs and go directly into heroin from there is 80 percent,” Wolff said. “It (heroin) is about the most addictive drug out there.”

A drug being manufactured at a record pace is fentanyl.

“Fentanyl is 50 times more powerful than heroin and up to 100 times more potent than morphine,” Wolff related, reading from a March 25 New York Times article. Most times with a fentanyl overdose, and many times a death, the user does not know this drug was added.

Smack, dragon, junk, tar, dope - these are just a few of the names used in reference to heroin. Some “tools of the trade” parents should look for if they think their child may be using heroin are shoelaces, CD cases, credit cards, pen caps, spoons and cotton balls.

Wolff stated, “We (United States) consume over 80 percent of the world’s pain pills. We’re using them, and we’re a nation of pill poppers. You have a headache - you take an Advil. You have anxiety - you take a Xanax. We need to teach kids better ways to cope with their problems - and adults, too.”

The reasoning of “everyone’s doing it” for drug experimenting and use is not true, Wolff said at the meeting. Giving an example, Wolff said, “On Monday morning when [students] come to school, you have this young man who studied for the SATs, had dinner with Grandma and went to bed Saturday night at nine. This guy went to the party of the year, and, boy, was he wasted. Who’s talking on Monday morning?”

“The guy wasted,” a resident answered in response. “Of course,” Wolff said. “He’s the one talking about that stuff.

“Most of the kids are home, but you don’t talk about that. It’s not cool,” Wolff said.

The two biggest signs of heroin use are pin dot pupils and nodding out, which is not the same as falling asleep.

In addition to EMS, police officers are now starting to carry Narcan. Individuals also may purchase Narcan without a prescription.

“Insurance will cover it; you don’t need to prove there’s an addict at home,” Wolff said, but online training must be completed to be certified to administer Narcan in order not to have any liability if something goes wrong.

If you give someone Narcan, that individual must still go to the hospital.

“Narcan lasts only 60 to 90 minutes, whereas the opioids stay in your body a lot longer,” Wolff warned.

“This (Narcan) has saved a lot of lives, and it gives someone a second chance to get help,” Wolff emphasized.

With more people speaking out about heroin and opioid abuse, the stigma of not wanting to talk about that fact that your child, spouse, relative, friend, coworker is addicted to heroin will decrease, Wolff added.

The Center for Humanistic Change is located at 100A Cascade Drive, Allentown, and can be reached at 610-443-1595. For more information, visit thechc.org.

If you have unused or expired prescription drugs, they can be dropped off at Whitehall Township Police Department, 3731 Lehigh St., Whitehall, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday or Coplay Borough Police Department (inside Coplay Borough Hall), 98 S. Fourth St., Coplay, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

At the April 25 Crime Watch meeting, Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr. will present his State of the Township address, detailing on the subjects of the township’s growth and the direction slated for 2016.

Crime Watch meetings are held the fourth Monday of each month in the public meeting room of the Whitehall Township Municipal Building, 3219 MacArthur Road, Whitehall. Meetings start 7 p.m. and are open to the public.