Battling Heroin in Minnesota Requires Community Coalitions

Read the whole story at Indian Country Today Media Network. The news from Minnesota tribes may be grim, but Walter reminds us that solutions lie in education and community coalitions that battle this problem, starting with preventing and treating prescription opiate addiction.  Besides destroying the user's life and health, heroin use results in increased crime, HIV and hepatitis infections, and drug endangered children living in filthy and dangerous environments. Tribes are working with county, state and federal officials to turn this around, but all concerned community members, from caregivers to teachers and from health care workers to law enforcement officers and Tribal courts need to help with the effort to combat heroin.