Sheriff Kelly Wilhelmi announced the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association 2017 Scholarship for Whiteside County was awarded to Emma Melton, of Morrison, IL. She is shown on Tuesday, May 16, at Morrison High School with her father, Morrison Police Chief Brian Melton, left, and Sheriff Wilhelmi.
Melton received $500 for her winning essay. Her essay topic was “The Epidemic of Heroine.” It is published here with Melton’s permission.
In my community in Whiteside County, like many small towns across Illinois, heroin has become an epidemic. This has mostly stemmed from individuals who have become addicted to prescription pain medication because of an injury or surgery, and have resorted to using street drugs such as heroin. It is estimated that 80% of heroin users previously used prescription pain relievers. Those addicted to heroin come from all walks of life as you read about overdose deaths every day across Illinois.
There are a number of avenues that have already been taken to combat the problem and have shown success. For instance, the Whiteside County Safe Passage Initiative is an innovative program that allows heroin users to seek treatment without legal consequences. Heroin users can come to the Police Department or Sheriff’s Office and are provided immediately with options and no arrest. To improve this program, there could be an increase in the number of drug rehabilitation programs in the area. With more people voluntarily coming forward, there will inevitably be a growing need for services.
Other ways to combat the heroin epidemic include educating prescription holders on the dangers of opiate usage; offering intensive treatment for addicts with criminal charges (as it is cheaper to provide treatment than house them in prison); providing rigorous education programs in the schools on the consequences of drug use; raising awareness of the Good Samaritan Overdose Law, that allows reporting a possible overdose without arrest.
Although stats on heroin-use by teens is relatively low, most teens who enter rehab are addicted to opiates with a secondary use of marijuana. The driving demand for heroin in teens and adults is that the drug is cheap, available, and social; provides a pleasurable high; is used as an alternative to the pain relievers they became addicted to.
It is certain that the heroin epidemic does not have an easy answer. But I feel that my community has taken an approach that recognizes how important intense treatment can be and how professionals can work together to think outside the box for the betterment of our families.