An indiscriminate killer

(Graphic by Jenna Luckenbach)

A killer that doesn’t discriminate by gender, age or socioeconomic status is lurking in suburban America. That killer is heroin, an opioid analgesic processed from morphine. No longer relegated to big cities, heroin is a growing problem in suburban America, robbing families of their possessions, their security and ultimately their loved ones.
Law enforcers say more than 75 percent of crimes in Montgomery County are linked to the effects of heroin and other opiates. One suburban prosecutor calls heroin use an epidemic.
In this presentation of a four-part published series, The Mercury examines the ways heroin’s fatal addiction touches the lives of the Pottstown tri-county area. Information was gathered through five months of research by staff writers Brandie Kessler, Carl Hessler Jr. and Frank Otto, including interviews with police, prosecutors, judges, counselors, and medical professionals.
Heroin is not a problem of other places and other times. It is here and now.
Included are resources to help those affected by this disease, whether through addiction, crime, or loss.
We also invite your comments and conversation about this threat to our youth and our families. Join the conversation on Twitter by using #paheroin or share your comments below.