Attorney General Josh Shapiro held a news conference Thursday, to review the recent successes in the fight against the opioid crisis. 

 

Shapiro said in his conference that the fight against opioids is one that cannot be lost. 

 

The conference comes after Monday’s drug seizure in Altoona. In those arrests, agents seized 200 bricks of heroin with a street value of $100,000. The attorney general said that amount represents 10,000 doses of heroin. 

 

Shapiro is calling for more funding for drug treatment and said that drug addiction is a disease, not a crime. 

 

The attorney general said that he made a commitment to Pennsylvania to combat heroin and the opioid crisis and that in his first month in office, efforts have made a positive impact.

 

“We are here today to tell you that our efforts are having a positive impact. From Philadelphia, to Johnstown, to Altoona, we are taking no mercy on these drug dealers and we are making a difference for the people of Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said.

 

There were 45 overdose deaths in Blair County in 2016, which is an increase from 38 in 2015.