Teresa DeLone explained to the New York State Senate Heroin and Opioid Addiction Task Force that sometimes when her heroin addicted son ended up in jail she was relieved.
She felt he was safer there than on the street scoring heroin.
Tuesday was the second of 12 public forums held by the panel across the state.
Parents, legal and medical professionals gave testimony and recommendations for the best way to deal with a statewide explosion in heroin abuse.
Lori Dresher’s son went into rehab for heroin addiction last week. Dresher tells other parents in her shoes to find a support network.
"And you need to just hang in there and hope that at some point that we begin to treat addiction as the disease that it is. And begin funding it, and begin creating treatment options for addicts besides sending them out on the street and incarcerating them, said Dresher."
Western New York U.S. District Attorney William Hochul said the problem must be addressed by more than just law enforcement.
"It's going to be a blend or a mix of treatment and medical professionals and educational folks so that we can tackle this problem head on," said Hochul.
Authorities say a flood of inexpensive heroin on the black market has contributed to an upsurge in both drug arrests and overdoses across the state.
Officials say many people with heroin addiction start with prescription drugs. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office encourages anyone with unused prescribed opiates to bring them to the one of the drop-off sites the sheriff’s office runs to avoid someone in the home misusing the drug.