Forum On Heroin And Opioid Abuse Held At MVCC

A community forum to discuss heroin and opioid abuse was held today at Mohawk Valley Community College.

The forum was sponsored by the Oneida County Sheriff's Office, the Department of Justice and MVCC.

Sheriff Rob Maciol says there is a lot of concern in the community about the heroin epidemic.

The forum was made up of two presentations.  The first was for professionals who deal with substance abuse issues in their jobs and the second was for the general public.

The keynote speaker was Michael Nerney, the former Director of the Training Institute of Narcotic and Drug Research.

Nerney discussed current trends in substance abuse among adolescents and young adults and understanding heroin and prescription opioid abuse.

Several hundred people attended the forum.