Foot soldiers in the fight against drug addiction teamed up with law enforcement authorities on Tuesday to tell local state legislators the unvarnished truth about Pennsylvania's battle against heroin and prescription opiates.

Unless things change, we're going to lose the war."If we don't start addressing the root cause, I don't know how we're going to turn the tide," former Schuylkill County Commissioner Robert Carl said.The sometimes startling facts a bag of heroin now costs less than a pack of cigarettes, for example surfaced during almost four hours of testimony before Schuylkill County's delegation. Attending were state Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-124, who called for the hearing; state Sen. David G. Argall, R-29; state Rep. Neal Goodman, D-123; and state Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125.The lawmakers will take what they learned back to the legislature to consider.The problem of opiate addiction, including heroin and prescription drugs such as oxycodone, is real, growing and affects everyone."Here in Pennsylvania, overdose deaths have increased 473 percent since 1990," said Gary Tennis, secretary of the state Department of Drug and Alcohol programs."Between 2009 and 2013, county coroners identified almost 3,000 heroin-related overdose deaths. Nationally, more people are dying from heroin overdoses than car crashes," he said.While those on the front lines of helping addicts break free of their addictions may sometimes seem at odds with police, the testimony proved they share more common ground than opposition.Overwhelmingly, those testifying on both sides called for more funding to help combat the ever-growing wave of opiate addiction; routinely supplying Narcan, a drug that counteracts heroin overdoses, to emergency responders; and easier access to treatment.Tamaqua Police Chief Rick Weaver said it makes sense for officers to carry Narcan.Police carry first aid kits and AED devices to jump-start stalled hearts."Why? To save lives. Why not Narcan?" he said.They also agreed that treatment will reduce the crime rate and cut jail costs."It's a lot cheaper to treat them than to incarcerate them," Goodman said of addicts.Schuylkill County District Attorney Christine Holman said the county is in the early stages of exploring the feasibility of establishing a drug court, whose sole focus would be the intense supervision and accountability of drug-addicted criminals.It would focus on treatment rather than punishment."It's an intense program for drug addicts. If they don't adhere to the conditions, they are off it, and must serve their prison sentence.Not only would proper treatment take a bite out of crime, it would boost the local economy, said Carl, who is now the executive director of the Schuylkill County Chamber of Commerce."An addicted society is not going to be a productive work society," he said.The delegation also heard from Michael Ogden, program director for The Bridge in Philadelphia; Michael Harle, president of Gaudenzia; William Rowan, director of the Schuylkill Medical Center's Drug and Alcohol Center; Melissa Chewey, director of the county Drug and Alcohol agency; First Detective Dolly Malec; Kurt Montz, county drug task force supervisor; and District Judge James Reiley.The hearing was held at Penn State University's Schuylkill Haven campus.Both the delegates and those who testified agreed the session was needed."Heroin affects all of us, and we can't turn a blind eye to it any longer," Goodman said.