Senate Task Force will hold forum on heroin in PY

The Joint Senate Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction will be holding a community forum that will take place in Penn Yan. The forum will take place at the Penn Yan Middle School, on February 23rd, in an effort to combat the heroin addiction that has become prevalent throughout New York State.State Senator Tom O’Mara says that lawmakers are pushing the envelope now to find new ways to combat a problem that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. The problem though, isn’t one that just developed overnight — or simply became a problem due to specific forces. In many ways, this was a problem that very few people or agencies were prepared for. At the community level, these types of issues need to be addressed, and according to Sen. O’Mara, support needs to be given to the individuals who struggle with addiction, as well as the government agencies out there who are serving the communities and combatting the problem head on. The point of the forum, according to Sen. O’Mara will be to provide as much insight into the problem, from the perspective of experts — which can then translate into functional legislation that can aid those combating the problem. Overall, addiction remains one of the top-priorities of administrations locally, and nationally, as drug abuse runs rampant throughout the nation.Locally, heroin abuse has been a developing problem in Yates, Ontario, Seneca, and Wayne counties — and even the region more broadly.