Of late, two appropriate recommendations have been offered to counter the heroin crisis — treat it as an epidemic and counter it as a village. Both recommendations have merit. Both are making an impact.

Medical, pharmaceutical, and health care providers have abided by lessening the prescribing of opioids and better monitoring pills in stock. Such community volunteer groups as Community Speaks Out; Gales Ferry, Ledyard, Mashantucket Against Heroin; and Shine A Light On Heroin have raised awareness, educated, and assisted addicts in finding detox/rehab/counseling programs.

New London County has rallied to oppose heroin, while the State of Connecticut and the federal government have stopped studying and slowly begun to take action.

Leading the way has been law enforcement, by the traditional use of arresting powers, but more so by recognition that enforcement is but one facet of response.

As Chief Leonard Campanello of the pioneering Gloucester, Massachusetts Police Department states in advocacy of his Police Assisted Addict Recovery Initiative (PAARI), “We can not arrest our way out of what is taking place with Heroin, we must seek out, offer, and provide means of treatment.”

It would appear all is in place to fight an epidemic as a village of individuals, of causes, of professions, and through our government. Or is it?

Required to eradicate any epidemic of viral or bacterial origin is use of quarantine, administration of curative agents, and perpetual monitoring to prevent further outbreaks. The best village can only cleanse itself if the surrounding areas do so as well — particularly if an outbreak is of the pandemic variety that requires a global effort.

This bodes ill for ever truly ending the heroin epidemic, unless appropriate measures are taken. Those measures are available and must be utilized.

According to the Office of National Drug Policy, historically, most of the world’s illicit opium for heroin has been grown in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia. However, over the last decade, opium production in the Golden Triangle has declined while cultivation and production rates in Southwest Asia have increased considerably. In 2010, Afghanistan, as the world’s largest opium supplier, accounted for nearly 80 percent of the world’s opium, according to United Nations estimates. Latin America has evolved as the primary supplier of heroin to the United States, with Mexican heroin most prevalent west of the Mississippi and Colombian heroin most prevalent east of it.

It is abominable that such harm is caused by nations that the U.S. either militarily occupies and/or assists with Foreign Aid. Whether by political and economic sanctions or militarily fire bombing, those poppy fields must cease to exist and be kept from returning.

No “new” heroin means no new addicts and an enhanced opportunity to properly treat existing addicts. No new heroin will gradually allow our own village to address other challenges now neglected due to the focus on heroin.

The drug cartels effectively eliminate their opposition, the descriptive phrase they use is, “Killing the roots.” It’s time to do unto them. Please contact our federal senators, congressmen, and our president to demand such measures. In the upcoming November elections, cast a ballot for any candidate so advocating.

Jim Spellman formed the education and prevention group, Shine a Light on Heroin. He is a former high school coach and administrator. He lives in Groton.