Expert to address heroin concerns
If you go
The heroin presentation by Michael McGowan is set for noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, at the Rock County Job Center, 1900 Center Ave., Janesville. Lunch will be provided. The event is open to the public. To register, call or e-mail Partners in Prevention by Friday: (608) 758-1844 or partnersrockcty@sbcglobal.net.
JANESVILLE — When it doesn't kill, it devastates lives with brutal addictions. Perhaps most worrisome is that heroin's death grip has reached many young people across southern Wisconsin.
A seminar by a drug-abuse expert Wednesday, July 15, in Janesville will address possible roots of the problem.
Partners in Prevention of Rock County has invited trainer-consultant Michael McGowan to speak.
"This talk addresses the No. 1 obstacle to your children's success and offers practical information and techniques to help parents, schools and peer programs help children stay drug free," according to information from Partners in Prevention. "With the increase in prescription-drug and heroin abuse in our area, it is increasingly important for local communities to be informed and involved.
"This seminar will address the education, skills and support a child needs to stay drug free."
Partners in Prevention is sponsoring the free event with the Rock County Sheriff's Office and the Beloit and Janesville police departments.
Rock County has seen at least 11 deaths from heroin overdoses since March 2008, after zero deaths in 2006 or 2007. Pending investigations could increase the number of confirmed heroin deaths.
The 11 deaths were across the county, from the larger cities to small towns. Seven of the deceased were younger than 30.
Milton police recently investigated a case in which three teens overdosed on heroin but survived. A 15-year-old allegedly stole heroin from an adult and shared it with two others.
Janesville police reported 17 arrests for heroin delivery in the first half of 2009. That far outstrips arrests for delivery of cocaine, six, and marijuana, three.
"We clearly have made heroin investigations a priority," said Police Chief Dave Moore.
Moore said he's sending 12 Janesville officers to listen to McGowan's presentation.
McGowan, who heads a training and consulting firm, is not charging a fee, said Stephanie Douglas of Partners in Prevention.
McGowan specializes in alcohol, drug, conflict resolution, workplace and family issues. His resume includes speeches to tens of thousands of schoolchildren over the past 15 years, as well as training thousands of teachers and working with social service agencies, companies professional athletes and teams from the National Football League and Major League Baseball.
Jul 10, 2009 at 10:55 p.m.
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True dat, bella.
Jul 10, 2009 at 1:16 p.m.
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I think the rise in heroin arrests and overdoses are a direct result of prescription drug abuse. They start out with vicodin, oxycontin and so on....and when they can't afford them anymore, they move on to heroin. And that's typically when the police comes into the picture. Prescription drug abuse is rampant.
Jul 10, 2009 at 9:50 a.m.
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The 1955 film The Man With The golden Arm with Frank Sinatra scared me straight. I was four years old and vowed I would never do drugs. I never wanted to be a slave like Frankie Machine (Sinatra).
Jul 10, 2009 at 8:26 a.m.
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Has it ever occurred to someone that the seeming rise in heroine arrests is directly due to the push by police to investigate heroine use? People regularly acknowledge in the case of sexual assault statistics that the "rise" in sexual assaults often means simply that the police and prosecutor have turned their attention to them. (More should be made, certainly, that the statistical sample here is so small as to mean nothing in terms of trends, etc. Perhaps it could mean something if you could look at statistics about heroine prosecution in the state and in the country.)
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