LANSDOWNE, Va. — Virginia鈥檚 latest attempt to turn around the growing heroin crisis includes a new documentary video aimed at scaring teens straight.
Attorney General Mark Herring hopes the education will complement the recent push to prosecute more drug dealers.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a really gripping documentary coming out in the next few weeks that I think will really capture the attention of young people and their parents and teach them just how dangerous these drugs are,鈥� Herring says.
In addition to screenings, Herring aims to make the video widely available. He says it is nothing like 鈥淩eefer Madness.”
鈥淣o, I think this is one that鈥檚 really going to talk to kids where they are, and it鈥檚 going to speak to them in a way that will resonate with them, and just let them know that this is dangerous and that they need to never start, but, if they do, there鈥檚 also hope in recovery and treatment,鈥� he says.
This week, data showed for the first time since the records began, than died in car crashes on the state鈥檚 roads.
Heroin and related drug overdoses are on the rise in much of the region.
鈥淚t鈥檚 truly a crisis, both a law enforcement issue as well as a public health crisis,鈥� Herring says.
鈥淚鈥檝e talked to people who never thought heroin would touch anyone in their families, and yet they鈥檙e grieving over the loss of a loved one 鈥� a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister,鈥� Herring says.
Herring points out that the data from 2014 may not reflect the impact of more cooperation among law enforcement agencies and prosecutors at all levels, as well as other recent efforts to jail drug dealers and medical professionals who are providing bogus prescriptions for painkillers.
鈥淭he problem is going to continue to get worse until it gets better, but we鈥檙e making progress,鈥� he says.
