Springfield, Vt. — Last year in Vermont, 106 people died of an opioid overdose, up from 75 overdose deaths in 2015. That equates to roughly one Vermonter dying from an opioid overdose every 3.4 days, Vermont Department of Public Safety Commissioner Thomas Anderson said at a Tuesday night forum on the ongoing opioid epidemic.

Vermont also is one of the top five states for heroin use in the country, behind Arkansas, Delaware, Maryland and Connecticut, Anderson said. Approximately 5,000 Vermont adults are addicted to heroin alone, he said, citing Vermont Department of Health statistics.

Even closer to home, Springfield Police Chief Douglas Johnston told the more than 100 people in attendance in the Riverside Middle School auditorium that last year in Springfield alone, there were four fatal heroin overdoses, and so far this year, there have been three.

“It is a big problem,” Johnston said.

The event followed a Vermont Drug Task Force investigation in Springfield earlier this month that netted 16 arrests. Task force members and several others involved in combating the opioid crisis have been traveling the state to talk about the current situation in Vermont, its impacts and what law enforcement officials are doing to help.

Prescription opioids, such as pain pills, have had a hand in creating the problem that Vermont faces, Anderson said, noting national data show 80 percent of heroin users started out taking prescription opioids.

“Vermont has a pill problem,” Anderson said, and the ongoing epidemic is wreaking havoc on Vermont families.

In 2016, 53 percent of children under the age of six were in the care of the state’s Department for Children and Families due to opioid use issues, he said.

Heroin is cheaper and easier to obtain than prescription drugs, said Molly Cozzens, an intelligence analyst with the Vermont Intelligence Center, which often is why people switch. Three to five pills a day could cost someone $240 to $400, she said, whereas a like quantity of heroin would cost about $45 to $75.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officials are cracking down on heroin sales by working to interrupt the supply of it and other drugs to the state, said Anderson, a former U.S. district attorney for Vermont.

Johnston, the Springfield police chief, agreed, saying, “There is not a week that goes by that (Springfield officers) aren’t making an arrest for heroin.”

“There is a lot of positive happening in our town …, ” said Springfield Selectboard Chairman Kristi Morris, who also sat on the panel on Tuesday night. “Together we can achieve a better, safer community.”

One big factor in slowing the epidemic is reducing the demand for drugs, Anderson said. That requires education, and “being here tonight starts that,” he told the audience.

Some areas still need work, he acknowledged, including prescribing practices, among many other things. Claudia Marieb of the Vermont Department of Health told the group that there are efforts underway in the medical field, including a prescription monitoring system where doctors can log certain medications to prevent patients from “doctor shopping” for substances.

The opioid epidemic must be hit from four sides, the panel members said: Treatment, recovery, prevention and enforcement.

“If you are dealing this poison, stop dealing it, get into treatment or get arrested,” Anderson advised.

After laying the groundwork about what is going on in the state, the panel of professionals took questions from the audience. Some respondents urged their fellow community members to volunteer and have early intervention with school-aged children.

Springfield resident Stephen Meier said he had family members who were drug addicts. What prevented him from going down that track, he said, were after-school activities.

“Maybe we aren’t getting enough kids recruited in after-school things,” he said.

Vermont State Police Detective Lt. Teresa Randall, a narcotics investigation unit commander, said it also is important to stay involved in young people’s lives as they enter into adulthood. As a former sports coach, she said, she has seen some of her star athletes go down a path of destruction.

There is a small glimpse of hope as far as youths go, Anderson said, noting there is some evidence youth drug use is trending down.

Representatives from Valley Vista and the Turning Point Recovery Center also spoke on Tuesday night, providing guidance and urging Springfield residents and Vermonters alike to get out, volunteer and use model behavior to be a mentor.

“It is time for everyone to get out of their comfort zone and do things like that,” Anderson said. “It’s time.”

Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.