Drug Trends Symposium in Harrisburg; Overdose Deaths Down

Overdose deaths did decrease in Pennsylvania in 2023—but addiction and recovery specialists say there is still a crisis, and they are staying vigilant in helping communities.

Hundreds of addiction and recovery experts came to Harrisburg on Tuesday for the annual PA Emerging Drug Trends Symposium.

“We're seeing overdose deaths trending downward,” Tom Coderre said, the deputy secretary for the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “So we've seen over a 20% decrease in overdose deaths here in Pennsylvania, 14.5% nationwide.”

Conference topics ranged from analyzing marijuana and vaping use in teens and young adults to tracing how substances are being combined.

“What are users seeing on the streets? What are they battling with? What's the biggest thing on the forefront causing issues for them? Then it affects our systems as well,” Julie Jendrysik said, assistant administrator for the Lawrence county Drug & Alcohol Commission. "The name of the game for us is to be proactive, not reactive.”

By hearing what larger cities are experiencing right now, rural communities can prepare for future trends. Experts also leaned into learning about specific updates in each part of helping those with harmful drug habits.

“This is a multi pronged issue, it requires multi pronged solutions,” Coderre said.

For anyone caught in addiction— there are many parts of getting help. How are hospitals and healthcare systems responding to immediate crisis? Are medical professionals going into communities, meeting people using substances where they are? Are those interactions approached in care or shame?

How can criminal justice come into play, along with work places? If someone struggling with addiction fears criminal consequences, how does that impact their chances of choosing recovery? And how do they experience the world once they break out of addiction?

“We have to make living in our communities more attractive than using substances,” Coderre said.

Several statewide organizations also discussed how recovery looks different for each individual.

“For some, you might still be using, but you choose to use in safer ways or start decreasing quantities. Some might work towards total abstinence, some might jump straight in,” Grimm said, a partner with Groundhog PA. The group tracks what and where drug supplies are coming from across the state. “Any progress is good progress."

Resources to support those on recovery efforts can be lacking in communities.

“We need more housing options for one,” Rebecca Abramson said, executive director of Lawrence county Drug & Alcohol Commission. "We have a housing program, but finding available safe housing is very slim.”

Efforts to expand and publicize resources for addiction recovery in rural areas can also still be met with fear and judgment. Abramson described how recent efforts to start a new recovery house or treatment center in more outskirt areas of towns are met with push back.

“There’s fear there,” Jendrysik said. "People in long term recovery need to kind of come out of the shadows and start really talking about it. Like, we have staff that have over a hundred years clean and sober combined."

"So we have such an amazing recovery community,” Jendrysik said. "So I think getting that message out that they're here. They're living right beside you. They're working in daycares. Like, people do recover.”