Opioids – Pennsylvania’s #1 public health and public safety crisis
The heroin and opioid epidemic is the number one public health and public safety challenge facing Pennsylvania. An average of 14 Pennsylvanians die every day from overdose and based on available data the death toll will only continue to rise.
Opioids come in many different forms with many different names, including OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Codeine, Hydrocodone, Morphine and Heroin
Health effects of prolonged opioid use:
Opioids are often stolen from someone with a legitimate prescription. Seventy percent of people that illegally use prescription drugs admit getting them from family and friends. The number one source of drugs for teenagers is home medicine cabinets.
Opioids can also be obtained when a person is legally prescribed a drug and then abuses it, prescriptions are forged and altered, or the medications are purchased from a dealer illegally selling prescription drugs.
Working together we can ensure that those who want help for addiction get the help they desperately need.
GET HELP
The Pennsylvania Attorney General provides opioid resources that support prevention, treatment, recovery, safe medication disposal, and community education to help combat substance use disorder across the Commonwealth.
LETI aims to combat the opioid crisis; substance use disorder and concerns of behavioral health by connecting individuals to treatment or service options with the purpose of diverting individuals away from furtherance in the criminal justice system.
Connecting Pennsylvanians to statewide opioid support services — including treatment locations, helplines, naloxone information, drug take-back sites, and local resource links to help individuals and families find care and support.
Opioid drop boxes provide secure, anonymous locations across Pennsylvania where residents can safely dispose of unused or expired prescription opioids to prevent misuse and protect their communities.