The success of the local naloxone initiative has been astonishing.

Hardly a day goes by that we don't hear about a new case where a person who had overdosed on narcotics was saved because area police officers are now carrying this effective antidote.It's wonderful.It's also terrifying revealing the extent of the narcotics addiction problem in our community.And a recent news story also revealed something about our community that is deeply disappointing.York County Coroner Pam Gay and District Attorney Tom Kearney said they're thrilled with the success of this effort, but they've also heard cynicism from some people at heroin task force meetings."The perception is that these are a bunch of junkies, that maybe they're not worth saving," Kearney said. "That's simply not true. Every life is worth saving."Amen to that.Gay acknowledged that some people who are revived will go back to drug abuse, but she said she hopes the near-death experience will be a wake-up call that gets people on the road to recovery.Amen to that, too.We know there are callous people out there but it's surprising anyone would say something so cynical out loud. Every addict is someone's child or parent or friend.Most local folks have compassion in their hearts for those suffering from addiction.Maybe the coroner and the DA drawing attention to such negative remarks will serve as a wake-up call to those who would so easily write off people stuck in the claws of addiction.York Daily Record