Carbon County, Weatherly and state officials have teamed up to spearhead a campaign to try to combat the growing drug epidemic that is hitting our communities.

On Monday, representatives gathered at the Weatherly Borough Office to reveal a new brochure that is available to all Weatherly residents that provides information on getting help with drug and alcohol problems. Information includes a variety of resources, from local agencies and treatment options to area support groups."As elected officials, we recognized that there is a drug problem in our community," said Weatherly Mayor Tom Connors, noting that the borough reached out to the county commissioners asking for help to make the brochure a reality. "I think this is a small step, actually the second step, to combating the drug and alcohol problem. The first step is someone recognizing that they have a problem. The second step is finding where to get help."He said that the brochures will be made available at the police station and in the cruisers, the borough library, the churches, the schools and at the borough hall."We want to be here for those who want the help," Connors said. "If we make the information available and people take it and use it, then it's a positive thing."Weatherly Councilman Joseph Cyburt echoed Connors' thoughts."It's frustrating when people come up to you and you don't have answers for them," he said. "This brochure is something really good and we need it. It's terrible what the heroin problem is doing in the community. We gotta try and help them."County Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard thanked council for spearheading the idea, as well as the state and county officials who helped make this brochure a reality."We know there are a lot of people out there who have a drug or alcohol problem or mental health issues, and don't know where to turn," he said. "They call the commissioners' office, they call the state representative, the state senator. Today we have information for them and I think it's a step in the right direction."Jamie Drake of the Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission, who gathered the information for the brochure, said that drugs, especially opiates, have been a growing problem in Carbon County, with over 50 percent of the clients receiving treatment at the commission coming in because of opiate addiction.State Rep. Doyle Heffley spoke about initiatives available through the state, including the drug take-back boxes located around the county, and the new prescription drug database that was just signed into law."It's going to take every level of government to really crack down because this is an epidemic," he said, adding that education will be key to stopping the problem.Drake said that it is hard to combat this growing problem when students are reporting in the county's student drug and alcohol survey that they are getting these drugs from their parents.She agreed with Heffley that education of not only the students, but also the parents, is key to creating a new mindset against drug abuse.The brochure is also available to all municipalities in the county. It is a trifold brochure template that could be customized to the municipality by simply changing the logo and local police contact number.If a municipality would like to receive the template, call the county commissioners' office at 570-325-3611.