Acknowledging that heroin use is at epidemic proportions, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo came to Rockland Community College in Suffern Wednesday to announce a multi-pronged approach to fight the scourge.
The state is going to double by 100 troopers the number specifically dedicated to combat heroin trafficking around New York. It will also launch an educational awareness campaign on public and private college campuses, and it will make available Narcan the new drug that can reverse the impacts of a heroin overdose.
But the governor noted that fighting heroin use takes an even deeper commitment.
"Heroin is not a problem that law enforcement alone can solve, the troopers, and the sheriffs, and the DA's can't solve it," Cuomo said. "The teachers and the education system can't solve it. It's going to take all of us. And it still starts in the home."
Rockland County Executive Ed Day, himself a retired member of law enforcement, said we can beat this scourge, but it will take a multifaceted effort.