State leaders, parents and educators came together in Yorktown Thursday to discuss the heroin epidemic that is rising at an alarming rate.

In 2013, 90 people died of heroin-related deaths in Westchester alone.

State Sen. Terrence Murphy chairs a task force that was set up to deal with the growing heroin and opioid addiction epidemic.

He said it important to eliminate any stigma there may be surrounding the drug.

"This has no race, no religion, no boundaries...this will shake you down," he said during the forum at Strang Middle School.

Steve Salomone never imagined he would have to bury his teenage son, but a heroin overdose led to his child's death in 2012. Salomone gave his opinion to the task force on what is needed to prevent further tragedies.

"We need to get kids before they get involved with drugs. When they get involved, it's a life changer for them," said Salomone.

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino agreed.

"The drug is cheap...kids need to be educated to stop the problem," said Astorino.

Murphy hopes information collected from Thursday's meeting can be used to help develop legislation.