Charles E. Kiessling has a novel idea about how Pennsylvania should perceive heroin deaths.

The Lycoming County coroner is tired of the plague of drug overdoses and says it's time to "call it what it is."From now on, any death due to heroin in his county will be listed as a homicide on the death certificate.The other available options are natural, accidental, suicide or undetermined.But Kiessling says the answer is easy."If you are selling heroin to someone and they die, isn't that homicide?"Before making the change, Kiessling says he checked with Harrisburg lawyer Susan Shanaman, solicitor for the Pennsylvania State Coroners Association. Kiessling is president of that group.Before this, Kiessling was listing overdose deaths as accidental. But that category is more suited for those who fall off a roof or die in a crash."If you are dealing drugs, you are a murderer," he says, even if "you may not know who you are killing."According to the National Association of Medical Examiners, coroners have every right to make the call. And drug deaths meet the definition of death at the hands of another."We should call drug dealers what they are - dealing death," says Kiessling, a registered nurse."I don't care if I offend people. Drug dealers are murderers and belong in state prison."Powerful words.And Kiessling admits, "We can't arrest ourselves out of this mess. Some will agree and some will not. I just think it is the right thing to do."Incidentally, there is an exception to the rule, in cases where prescription drugs also were a factor. Doctors have a license to prescribe drugs. Drug dealers aren't licensed to do anything, says Kiessling, and that's the key difference.The response to Kiessling's daring move has been varied. And it must be noted that a coroner's ruling isn't binding on police, nor is it a legal finding of homicide.Still, many agree with him. And rightfully so. Maybe if other coroners follow suit, people will wake up to the drug abuse problem and be more aware of the destructive role of illegal drugs in our communities.But others say why not take it a step further to a more logical conclusion?For instance, why not call all drug deaths suicide?A person who starts using drugs does so willingly and certainly knows the risks. Why shouldn't they be held responsible for their own addiction?Has society become so politically correct that drug users aren't held accountable for their actions?It's so easy to label everybody a victim. When society does so, even a drug user shakes off culpability for the nasty little habit.But let's face it, a person who takes drugs is essentially playing Russian roulette with his or her life. And if that's the case, a drug overdose is suicide, even if the intent was simply to "get high."By Donald R. Serfass |

dserfass@tnonline.com