Heroin kills.

In recent months, Santa Clarita has experienced a dramatic increase in heroin use, arrests and fatal overdoses. Many are unaware of the existence of heroin in Santa Clarita schools and among teenagers in our valley.

To help educate people about the dangers and resources available to deal with the drug problem, the City of Santa Clarita is sponsoring a heroin symposium on August 30.

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The symposium will include information and tips for parents on how to protect their children; offer resources for prevention and recovery and give participants an opportunity to interact with a panel of experts, which will include a recovering addict, a drug recovery counselor, parents of addicted Santa Clarita youth as well as representatives from law enforcement and health care.

The symposium will open at 6:30 p.m. with a resource fair and the presentation will begin at 7 p.m., followed by questions and answers. It will be held at the Santa Clarita Activities Center, 20880 Centre Pointe Parkway.

Participation in the symposium is free. For additional information, go to heroinkills.org.

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