(Long Island, NY) On Tuesday Assemblyman Garbarino (R,C,I-Sayville) attended the Assembly Minority Task Force on Heroin Addiction & Community Response at Walt Whitman High School Performing Arts Center. The task force, the first of many forums planned throughout New York state, identified problems and weaknesses in current efforts to combat the rampant heroin epidemic.
“These forums are essential in our efforts to combat the rising number of individuals addicted to heroin,” said Garbarino. “Heroin is a crisis that has resulted in new problems, from gang violence to healthcare and requires a multifaceted approach that includes new legislation, innovative law enforcement and better efforts to educate the public on the addictive qualities and life threatening potential of heroin.”
“It’s essential that in addressing these problems we begin by meeting with the families, friends and communities most affected by this epidemic, so we can better understand and develop effective strategies to address this problem. As a legislator, there is nothing more important than hearing the voice of the people and it is the first step we must take to tackle this issue.”
Representatives from rehabilitation and treatment organizations and facilities, insurance companies, law enforcement and criminal justice were invited to attend and provide feedback. The task force members also heard personal anecdotes from those with firsthand experience dealing with the devastation heroin addiction causes.
