At a press conference held yesterday in Albany, Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) joined Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R,C-Canandaigua), members of the Assembly Minority Conference and local stakeholders to call for immediate passage of legislation to fight the dangerous heroin epidemic that has plagued our state.

“There are only eight days left of the legislative session, and families in every area of our state need these critical measures to become law,” said Ra. “Too many lives have been lost. Too many families have been torn apart. This is a very real and deep-rooted problem, and we need to take the first steps to begin to address it.”

Earlier this year, Ra and his colleagues crafted a comprehensive report that provided a litany of solutions to combat the heroin epidemic. The report was produced by the Assembly Minority Task Force on Heroin Addiction & Community Response following its seven-forum tour across New York State.

At each stop the group gathered firsthand information from local officials, law enforcement, health care providers, recovering addicts and parents of addicted individuals to gain valuable insight into the problem and learn how to provide proper solutions.

“This cannot be a rushed, one-step fix. We need to tackle the problem from every angle. Our conference knows it will take increased prevention and education, proper detoxification, rehabilitation and recovery, and improved relationships between the criminal justice system, law enforcement and health care providers to ensure the best possible care for those in need of help. Now we must move forward with these critical, life-saving measures to help our friends, neighbors and loved ones leave addiction behind.”