Federal and State Officials Invite Public to Attend Anti-Heroin Event

Baltimore – A premier screening of a new documentary titled "Chasing the Dragon, The Life of an Opiate Addict," on Thursday, August 25, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. at the Community College of Baltimore County, Center for the Arts Building, 800 Rolling Road in Catonsville, Maryland.                 

The screening is sponsored by The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Baltimore Field Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration - Baltimore District Office, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Maryland Attorney General's Office and the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention.

“Attend the screening and watch the movie if you want to understand the heroin crisis and the extraordinary danger it poses,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin Perkins. “We need to prevent people from getting addicted to oxycodone and heroin, because treatment and prosecution cannot solve the problem.”

“As law enforcement has worked hard to address the prescription drug abuse epidemic, heroin has made a resurgence,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Karl Colder. “We are at a critical point and need the support of our nation’s educators.”

The film was produced by the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to educate high school students and young adults about the dangers of prescription drug and opioid abuse, and the tragic consequences of addiction.  The multi-agency goal is to promote the film to local educators and professionals who work with young people and encourage them to consider incorporating the film into their drug awareness program or curriculum.  THE EVENT IS OPEN TO THE MEDIA AND THE PUBLIC, so please share this information.

You can preview the two-minute trailer on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJQwfAQRRAE.  Also, here is a link to more information about documentary and the overall effort of the FBI and DEA to raise awareness about the national epidemic of heroin and prescription drug abuse:  https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-dea-release-documentary-film-addressing-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse.

Opening remarks will be provided by Dr. Sandra Kurtinitis, President, Community College of Baltimore County, Catonsville; Rod J. Rosenstein, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Kevin Perkins, FBI Baltimore; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A Hibbert, DEA Baltimore; Brian Frosh, Maryland Attorney General; and Boyd Rutherford, Lieutenant Governor of Maryland.

The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion that will include representatives from law enforcement, health care, mental health, and recovery specialists. FBI Public Affairs Advisor Michael Kulstad will moderate the panel discussion.  Kulstad was a part of the FBI team that produced the video and has become a passionate advocate of promoting awareness and prevention nationwide.

The crisis involving prescription drug and opioid abuse is unlike any we have ever seen. Statistics show that deaths from opioid overdoses are one of the leading causes of accidental death in our country. In June of 2010, the CDC announced that 1 in 5 high school students had abused a prescription drug.

For more information, contact Dave Fitz at (410)277-6689 or Marcia Murphy at (410) 209-4854.