Hearing in Bucks on opiate abuse is set for Thursday

BUCKS COUNTY

Hearing on opiate abuse is set for Thursday

LEVITTOWN With heroin and opiate use growing in the nation and region, the Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee has scheduled a hearing on opiate abuse for Thursday morning in Bristol Township.

State Rep. Tina Davis (D., Bucks) will facilitate the 10 a.m. hearing along with Committee Cochair Mike Sturla (D., Lancaster) at Ben Franklin Middle School on Mill Creek Road.

Speakers will include the executive director of the Bucks County Drug and Alcohol Commission, the president of the Drug and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania, and the chief clinical officer for the Livengrin Foundation, an addiction treatment center.

Residents and families are invited to share their personal stories. Bill Lorman of Livengrin will speak about the increasing number of young adults who are being treated for addiction to opiates, which often stems from their experimentation with prescription drugs.

"Heroin and opiate-related incidents and deaths have increased sharply, destroying families and straining health agency and law enforcement resources," Davis said. "Thursday's hearing will begin the conversation on how to tackle addiction problems on a community level."

- Ben Finley