With drug addiction, particularly opioid derivatives, increasing at alarming rates, Hanover Township offered a forum for Lehigh Valley residents to learn about the trends and to hear from experts on the matter. The meeting was held Sept. 14 at Days Inn.

“We look at this as a community service for everyone in the Valley. As residents we need to know the signs of opioid addiction and what measures we can take to get help for those trapped in the downward cycle of addiction,” Councilman Bob Heimbecker said.

State Rep. Dan McNeill, D-133rd, was on hand for the meeting. He hosted two other meetings in the Lehigh Valley on this topic.

Trooper Marc Allen took the podium first to explain the addiction from his point of view.

“We are community relations officers. Our job is to get citizens aware of problems and to prevent crimes. But, we can only show you the crimes we didn’t prevent,” he said.

According to Allen, Pennsylvania has the highest death rate for young males in the country from opioid addiction.

“It all comes down to a choice the user makes,” he said. “There is no cookie cutter profile on a user.”

Allen emphasized law enforcement is more interested in a treatment plan rather than incarceration.

“It is cheaper for us to treat the addict, and it is much more productive turning an addict into a former addict,” he said.

Dr. Eric Lebby, chief of orthopedics, Lehigh Valley Hospital, talked of the difficulty addicts have in admitting they have a problem.

“There are plenty of good opiates out there,” he said. “It is up to physicians and their staff to teach patients how to control opiates.”

According to Lebby, there is now a mandatory requirement to enter a patient’s name into a database when prescribing opiates.

“We can see if someone else is prescribing opiates. It is pretty common for addicts to shop doctors,” he said.

Joe Stauffer, Lehigh County assistant district attorney, presented statistics on the impact of drug use in the Valley. “Abuse normally starts with prescription drugs. Half the teens in high school admitted to using prescription drugs,” he said.

According to Stauffer, the trend is away from pills because they are too expensive. More opioids are delivered granularly and are often mixed with other chemicals to give a stronger high. Granular forms are cheaper, often coming in decorative bags that are brand identifiable.

“We seized 410 grams of heroin in the first six months of the year,” he said.

The district attorney’s office continues to improve its prescription drug drop-off locations. “This helps keep unused drugs out of the hands of addicts. We collected 1,500 pounds of drugs through April,” Stauffer said.

Stauffer explained the Overdose Immunity Act: “Anyone can call in a potential overdose and will not be arrested even if drugs are present. When the call is made, 911 will ask the caller to remain with the individual,” he said.

Dealers are not covered.

Nicholas LaBar related his story of addiction that started with a leg injury when he was 14.

“I was in pain for a year while I recovered,” he said. “After that, I kept on using and refused any assistance to get off opioids.”

LaBar went to 14 rehab centers until he was able to come clean.

Bill Stauffer is a treatment counselor and a recovering addict for 30 years.

“People in recovery can do great things. These are intelligent people,” he said.

Stauffer says 90 days is often the minimum amount of treatment time.

“When I was addicted, I looked at positives and negatives differently. It made sense to sell a car I just rented,” he said.

Layne Turner is the point man for Lehigh County Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

“Drug and alcohol assistance is available. The county has $1.4 million set aside for rehab. We have a network of providers available to anyone who makes the request,” he said.

According to Turner, there are 26 different providers that have over 150 types of services.

“We start each program with an assessment unless there is an emergency. We need to have an ID to give medication because some are controlled substances. We have caseworkers get IDs where they are needed,” he said.

Lehigh County Corner Scott Grim gave the details on the death rate from drug use.

“In 2015, there were 3,300 deaths across the state, and it looks like we will be over 4,000 this year,” he said.

Donna Jacobsen founded Lehigh Valley Parent and Family Support Group after she rescued her daughter from drug addiction.

“Every parent needs to be aware of how this impacts the whole family,” she said.

Jacobsen is instrumental in getting parents involved and answering questions.

“To most parents, this is a surprise, and they need help coping with the reality of the problem,” she said.

Jacobsen’s group meets weekly, and she is available for phone calls.

About 25 residents attended the program.