The surge in drug abuse has resulted in efforts by local law enforcement to work with groups like Confide to educate the public on a pervasive problem while attempting to stem the flow of narcotics through the county.

“My office is aggressively pursuing the dealers and the crooked doctors and pharmacists who flood our communities with dangerously addictive prescription drugs,” said District Attorney Kathleen Rice, whose Heroin Prevention Task Force is dedicated to the eradication of the use of heroin and other drugs in the county. “We’re also speaking to kids, parents and educators about the dangers of these drugs through our ‘Not My Child’ awareness program. Too many lives are being destroyed, and it’s incumbent upon all of us to help protect people of all ages from this increasingly common form of drug abuse.”

Rice, Rosenthal and Gennario met on Sept. 20 at Confide’s 12th Annual Criminal Justice Awards Luncheon, where Rice and seven other honorees were given awards for their work to prevent drug abuse in the county. Ceremonies like these serve to remind the public that something is, indeed, being done — and also that something still needs to be done.

“As I mentioned before, we cannot arrest our way through this problem,” Gennario said. “We must team up with treatment groups such as Confide or education and awareness groups such as the Rockville Centre Drug and Alcohol Task Force or the Nassau County Heroin Prevention Task Force. We cannot sit idly by with our hands under our seats while these drugs are destroying our youth.”

For more information on prescription drug abuse and ways to help, contact Confide Counseling and Consultation Center at (516) 764-5522, or the Nassau County District Attorney’s office at (516) 571-2579 or info@heroinprevention.com.