Legislator Mejias Issues Wakeup Call:

Escalating Heroin Epidemic Can't Be Denied

Nassau County Legislator Dave Mejias (D-Farmingdale), lead sponsor of the county’s heroin notification law—the only law of its kind in the nation—continued his fight against the burgeoning heroin epidemic among our youth, when he participated as a panelist during County Executive Tom Suozzi’s recent Heroin Summit. Legislator Mejias, chair of the Legislature’s Health and Social Services Committee and vice chair of its Public Safety Committee, issued a clear message to parents. “It’s time for all of us to wake up and take action to eradicate the scourge of heroin and drug addiction. We need to push through the barrier of acknowledgement, face the problem and save our kids,” said Legislator Mejias.

Legislator Mejias continued, “The impetus of my heroin notification law was the high level of denial at the local level. We must give parents the tools they need to parent effectively. When a student is infected with lice, parents receive a note home…no one tells them about a heroin arrest, no one has any idea that a child is down the black hole of addiction. Parents may not be aware that students are holding ‘pharm parties’ where the main attraction is prescription drugs kids have taken from the medicine cabinet at home. Abusing prescription drugs is a gateway to heroin use. We must be vigilant at home and monitor our children’s behavior.”

The statistics are staggering. In 2007 Nassau County experienced 27 deaths caused by heroin. In 2008, heroin overdose deaths increased by 75 percent. Twenty-five deaths have already occurred in the first six months of this year alone, which is more than the number of drunk driving-related and homicide deaths combined.

“The Nassau County Police Department and DA Kathleen Rice have done an incredible job of cracking down on the hardened criminals of the drug trade, making more arrests in the first 6 months of 2009 than all of 2008 combined. Now we must engage our community to be more vigilant and get past the ‘not my child’ syndrome,” stated Legislator Mejias.

There is an increase in usage among 19- to 25-year olds. Heroin is cheap, it is pure, it is snorted or smoked and it is sold in bundles consisting of ten glassine bags. The bundles sold for $150 each in 2006; today they have a street value of $90, which makes each glassine bag cheaper than a six-pack.

“The numbers speak for themselves. This is an epidemic. We must take this seriously. Heroin is the enemy. It must be defeated,” concluded Legislator Mejias.

Nassau County Legislator Dave Mejias (D-Farmingdale) spoke at the Heroin Summit held by County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi on

July 28 in the Legislative Chambers. Legislator Mejias is pictured with Dr. Frank McCorry, the Director of New York State’s OASES.