We need to talk about heroin

Recreational drug use has been ingrained in mainstream life for decades. Many of us can remember encountering drugs like marijuana one way or another during our teen years. While it often seems like each generation takes things one step further than the last, there is something especially alarming about the hold that heroin and other opioids have gained among some of our youths: the drug can kill you.

Notwithstanding a recent slew of national news stories about the rise of heroin use around the country — the number of people 12 and up who reported trying the drug nearly doubled from 2009 to 2013, according to federal data — the issue is often in the shadows. Maybe you hear a rumor from a neighbor or wonder why a student you know is not frequenting the same places you used to see him or her. But for the most part, we go about our daily lives unaware of the silent emergency that has reached our community.

The time has come for the silence to end. While heroin use in the northwest Bronx has not reached epidemic proportions, parents, policy makers and other community members need to address the situation before the trend gets worse.

We should start with a conversation. In 2013, Community Board 8 hosted a forum on underage drinking, so we already have a model for discussing teens and substance abuse. One of the most admirable features of the forum was that it took an educational approach — not a judgmental one. The community should adopt the same mentality as it starts to address heroin and opioids. It will be vital to include voices from students, the only ones who can explain what’s really going on at their level.

Robert Vincent of the federal Center for Substance Abuse Prevention said a town hall would be an excellent way for the community to form a collective strategy — if it is ready to.

“Is the community ready to implement programs or take a look at itself? Are there policies that support that?” he asked. “That varies widely between communities.”

The northwest Bronx is full of caring families and active volunteers. Given the will, we can start to address heroin and opioid abuse together.