New Castle County Launches Aggressive Marketing Campaign To Combat Heroin Use in Delaware

NEW CASTLE, Del., March 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Incarceration, rehabilitation or death -- those are your only three outcomes if you try heroin even once. That is the message of New Castle County's hard-hitting new anti-heroin program, The Heroin Trap.

The program's centerpiece website, www.theherointrap.com, includes a graphic "choose your own fate" interactive game for teenagers to demonstrate where heroin use -- even just one time -- can lead them. New Castle County residents can also find information on heroin arrests, overdoses and deaths in their communities, resources on where to find help and information on how to sign up for a free Heroin Alert presentation for their local school or community group.

The program will be supported by graphic advertising, including a gripping commercial featuring an actual 9-1-1 call of an overdose death. The campaign targets teens, pre-teens and everyday citizens to make them aware of the dangers of heroin use, and to try to stop the problem before it begins.

The new campaign is the County's response to the growing local heroin problem - in 2014, the New Castle County Police recorded the largest single heroin seizure in agency history.  Despite the decline in property crimes, drug related offenses often plague citizens of New Castle County; due in part to addicts stealing for heroin money.

"This is a problem that is not going to go away on its own," said New Castle County Executive Tom Gordon, who spearheaded funding for the Heroin Trap program. "Our police are doing a tremendous job at getting heroin off our streets, but we, as a community, also need to do our part by recognizing that this is a problem that's affecting everyone and that we can do something to put a stop to it."

"As the heroin epidemic grips this Nation and this State, the County Executive and County Council have come together, as one Government, to offer a possible solution – a targeted marketing campaign aimed at prevention.  This is an historic move, with a campaign worthy of National attention," said New Castle County Chief Administrative Officer David Grimaldi.

"Our message is simple. Use heroin once and there are three possible outcomes: incarceration, rehab or death," said New Castle County Chief of Police Colonel E. M. Setting.  "We want to give a realistic portrayal of what awaits you if you use heroin, even once.  The police will continue to arrest the drug dealers, but this program will help parents and concerned citizens get a better understanding through education of the heroin epidemic in our communities."

The Heroin Trap incorporates the County's popular Heroin Alert presentation, which is routinely offered at schools and community centers. Led by Marie Allen, who tragically lost her daughter to heroin addiction, the presentation teaches parents the signs of heroin addiction and gives teens and pre-teens a realistic inside look at what can happen to them if they experiment with the drug.

New Castle County residents are encouraged to visit theherointrap.com for more information on preventing heroin use, and to sign up for a free Heroin Alert presentation.

About The Heroin Trap

The Heroin Trap is a drug prevention public awareness campaign sponsored by the New Castle County. This program is designed to educate New Castle County residents about the dangers of heroin. For more information, or to schedule a Heroin Alert presentation for your school or community group, visit www.theherointrap.com.

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SOURCE New Castle County

Related Links

http://www.theherointrap.com

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