Wilmette Police Department officials who announced an upcoming forum on heroin use in the area said it’s meant to educate about the drug’s use locally – something they said can be especially helpful for parents of young people – and provide resources for people who are dealing with the effects of heroin and its abuse.
Chief Brian King said Jan. 5 that his department has seen a continuing increase in heroin use among young adults over the last three to four years.
“Our experience is consistent with municipalities all around the Chicago metropolitan area,” he said in a press release earlier this month announcing the forum. “Frankly, heroin is cheaper and more readily available to our youth now than in any time in our recent history. Perhaps more significantly, young adults do not comprehend the destructive nature of the drug.”
The forum is set for 7 p.m. on Jan. 19 at the Wilmette Public Library, 1242 Wilmette Ave.
King said Jan. 5 that members of his department will discuss current data on local heroin and opiate use. They will be on hand to talk about the signs and symptoms of heroin addiction, he said. The department’s social worker and substance abuse counselors will also talk about resources available to individuals and families affected by heroin, King said.
Additionally, a parent whose child has become addicted to heroin will be present to talk about the family’s experience, including what signs were missed and what lessons the parent and child had to learn, he said.
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The Wilmette department held an initial educational forum on local and suburban heroin use in January of 2013. Since that time, King said, his department has dealt with heroin overdose deaths, one each in 2013 and 2014, as well as non-fatal overdoses in 2015.
Heroin also plays a part in some forms of criminal activity, King said.
“We’re still seeing a baseline of incidents where people are still being arrested for crimes undertaken to support opiate or heroin addiction,” he said.
King said the forum, like the 2013 effort and a second forum organized in 2014, is meant to educate area residents, especially parents of teens and young adults.
The number of young adults experimenting with heroin may reflect what King called a relatively small percentage of community residents, but the drug’s use devastates their lives and those of their families, he said.
“An addicted user in a recovery program was quoted as saying that she was simply not aware of the danger,” King said. The forum is meant to provide parents with tools to begin talking with their children about.
“We’re not trying to spread fear, we would just like to provide information for an informed community,” he said. “I think our message for parents that are wrestling with this dilemma is that you do not walk alone. There are people who can help.”
Twitter: @pioneer_kathy