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New York man who shot woman in back pleads guilty

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Eric Mahler named president of Big Brothers Big Sisters Advisory Board

<p>SCRANTON &#8212; It took a pregnancy to convince Emily Roznoski quit using drugs.</p><p>&#8220;I was in front of a drug house Googling how long into my pregnancy I could use before the drug showed up in the umbilical cord,&#8221; the 22-year-old from Harrisburg said.</p><p>&#8220;And then I realized, I didn&#8217;t want to do that anymore.&#8221;</p><p>Roznoski was fortunate. She was able to get into a rehab program in Lackawanna County and now has a 7-month-old girl, Carter.</p><p>State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski would like to see more success stories like Roznoski&#8217;s. Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, joined other area legislators at a press conference Wednesday to push for legislation to address the region&#8217;s growing opioid problem.</p><p>Joining Pashinski were U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, and state Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich, D-Taylor.</p><p>Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, said the fight against drug addiction must be adequately funded. Programs from detoxification to rehabilitation to maintenance must be affordable, he said.</p><p>Roznoski agreed.</p><p>She said she first began using drugs when she was 17. By 18, she said she was an addict.</p><p>&#8220;I went right to heroin,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I know a lot of people try less potent drugs first, but that wasn&#8217;t the case.&#8221;</p><p>Still, she realized the seriousness of her addiction early on.</p><p>&#8220;Me and my mom didn&#8217;t really know where to turn,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We spent weeks trying to get me into treatment.&#8221;</p><p>Treatment works, she said, when addicts are willing to put in the effort and commitment necessary for success.</p><p>Roznoski expects to be off methadone completely next week.</p><p>&#8220;When everyone is wanting more methadone,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I was asking for less.&#8221;</p><p>Pashinski put some of the responsibility for opioid addiction on pharmaceutical companies. He said the companies are often driven by the bottom line rather than the best interest of their customers.</p><p>&#8220;We need to companies to develop alternatives to opioid pain medication,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And we need to have doctors prescribing them.&#8221;</p><p>Pashinki said he also wants legislators to identify &#8220;gaps&#8221; in drug and alcohol services.</p><p>Pashinski plans to collect additional of information in order to adequately address these concerns and is willing to work with others from both sides of the isle.</p><p>&#8220;This disease doesn&#8217;t know male or female or rich or poor,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It doesn&#8217;t know Republican or Democrat, either.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Emily Roznoski, holding her 7-month-old daughter, details her journey back from heroin addiction </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_heroin.jpg</photo0><caption0>Emily Roznoski, holding her 7-month-old daughter, details her journey back from heroin addiction </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Area legislators push for solutions to opioid addiction