While it has been seen more in the area lately, heroin has not yet become a serious problem in Fulton, and Fulton Police Chief Steve Myers wants to keep it that way.
To that end, the Fulton Police Department, with assistance from the Jefferson City Police Department will be hosting the HOPE (Heroin Overdose Prevention and Education) Campaign at an educational community meeting at 6:30 p.m. on July 26 at Fulton City Hall.
"We are seeing it. In the last six months we've started seeing a little bit of heroin coming in," Myers said, noting that although Fulton hasn't seen nearly the level of heroin activity as other area communities such as Jefferson City, "I just thought we'd try to get ahead of the game and do some education."
Topics of discussion are set to include a look at what heroin is and what it does to the body, behavioral indicators of abuse, local trends, prevention, treatment and recovery.
"Basically it's a presentation on the dangers of heroin from its origins to its effects to how it's getting into our community, the dangers of these drugs and, most importantly, treatment options and information on counseling and recovery," said FPD Sgt. Bill Ladwig. "It's important for the community to learn about the issues every community faces and how to do things better."
Myers said one of the reasons heroin has been gaining popularity recently is because "it tends to be cheaper than other drugs."