In response to rising concerns over a drug epidemic throughout New Jersey and the nation, Princeton Alcohol and Drug Alliance, Princeton Health Department, and Princeton Police Department will be offering a presentation at Princeton High School on March 2, 7-9 p.m., to educate parents, high school students, and community members.

“We want to make sure that we alert the community that heroin is around, and we want people to have the facts,” stated Alliance Coordinator Gary DeBlasio, “so that they know what they’re looking at when they see it.”

Since 2010 the rate of heroin deaths in the U.S. has tripled, and in New Jersey the heroin overdose death rate is triple the national average and now eclipses homicide, suicide, car accidents, and AIDS as a cause of death in the state.

“In Princeton, we’re seeing a problem now with young adults, 18-35, kids who are not in school or college, typically kids who are floundering,” Mr. DeBlasio pointed out, “but it [heroin addiction] could hit anybody — rich, poor, young or old. Heroin is so cheap now. No one is immune. It’s too easy to say that it’s not here, but it is.”

“Heroin & Opiates: They’re Here” will feature a keynote address by Michael DeLeon, founder of Steered Straight, and director of award-winning documentaries Kids Are Dying and An American Epidemic. Members of the Princeton Police Department, Corner House, and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s office will join DeLeon for a panel discussion, with topics to include treatment options, area drug trends, and the use of Narcan, an opiate antidote which reverses the effects of an overdose.

The presentation will explain why heroin is more prominently used than costly prescription drugs, as well as what to look for if you suspect someone might be involved in heroin use.

Other information provided includes the physical symptoms to look for in a heroin user and a list of resources if you suspect someone of drug use.

There were five arrests in Princeton last year for possession of heroin, one of them also for distribution, and there were five cases of heroin overdose reported, with one of the five resulting in death — but no cases so far this year, according to the Princeton Police Department.

Good Samaritan legislation in New Jersey provides criminal immunity for the caller reporting and the people in need, so, in the case of users, the person who has overdosed is usually treated by medical authorities rather than police authorities.