Drug addiction can affect people from all walks of life — rich or poor, young or old, educated or not.

It can also take on many different forms from a person using heroin bought on the streets to a person abusing medication prescribed by a doctor.

Local law enforcement agencies came together last week to discuss the problem in Berrien County.

According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, heroin contributed to more drug-related deaths than with any other drug in 2013 in Berrien County.

The same organization found that heroin-related deaths increased by more than 50 percent from 2012 to 2013.

There is no doubt that heroin use is a growing problem in southwest Michigan.

Law enforcement experts believe that a factor driving the problem is that people are going from abusing prescription drugs to using heroin because heroin is not only easier to get, but it is less expensive.

Statewide, publicly-funded treatment centers reported that heroin was the second most treated substance behind alcohol last year.

Now that officials have recognized that there is a problem, the next step is figuring out a way to stop it.

Last week’s conference, which featured testimony from recovering addicts and experts in fighting drug abuse, was a step in the right direction.

Making sure everyone knows about the issue and encouraging the public to help out in the effort to stop it is a nother step in the right direction.

It is not a stretch to say that we all know someone who is struggling or has struggled with addiction.

We need to do everything we can to understand what they are going through and how we can help.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.