Durbin, Lake County Community Leaders Discuss Initiatives to Combat Heroin Epidemic

Statement

As heroin overdose deaths rise in Illinois and across the country, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with members of the Lake County Opioid Initiative to discuss overdose-prevention and treatment strategies. Durbin also discussed recently co-sponsored bills to expand treatment for heroin addiction and expand access to naloxone - a drug that counters the effects of an opioid overdose - and other drug prevention programs that have been proven to save lives.

"Communities across the nation, and here in Illinois, are waking up to an epidemic of prescription opioid abuse, compounded only by the torrent of cheap heroin coming from Mexico. Lake County is no exception," Durbin said. "With heroin and opioid use on the rise, we should be doing everything we can to give first-responders access to life-saving drugs like naloxone. I will continue to work to ensure that community groups and first responders on the front lines have the resources they need to prevent more individuals from falling victim to opioid abuse."

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