Beth Warren

@BethWarrenCJ

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Domonique Greene wasn't keen on public speaking but ambled down a church aisle on a recent Mother's Day weekend to stand before more than 400 congregants. He paused to catch his breath amid sobs before announcing: "I need y'all's prayers. I'm addicted to heroin. I fear I'm going to die if I don't get help."

Five months later, the 23-year-old died.

His father, David Greene, also isn't fond of giving speeches, but he and his wife, Kayla, have given a lot of them lately to show anyone who will listen the devastation levied by heroin. On Tuesday, they took their message all the way to the White House via U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch. She came to Lexington to hear from parents she acknowledges are "on the front lines of this epidemic."

About three dozen relatives of victims who died from the heroin crisis formed a circle, some holding photos of their loved ones in their laps, others wiping tears. One by one, Lynch looked in their eyes while shaking hands, thanking them for their bravery discussing the worst moments of their lives for a greater good.

"It's really striking to me to listen to family members ... how they've all taken that tremendous pain and they're using it to help other families," she told the Courier-Journal and a Lexington reporter during a private discussion after hearing several parents and a sister describe losing loved ones. "This is really the issue of our time,"

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Lynch, in charge of all federal prosecutors as the head of the Justice Department, wanted to meet the Greenes and other participants in a pioneering program led by Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and his staff. The U.S. Attorney's Heroin Education Action Team, formed a year ago, sends parents who have lost children to overdoses to schools, churches, community groups, law enforcement and even prison to put a face on the epidemic. It's called "USA HEAT" and has reached about 2,000 people and has already gotten interest from cities looking to start a program of their own, Harvey's office said.

Lynch's visit to Kentucky is among 250 events planned this week by federal officials during what President Barack Obama declared as Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week.

David and Kayla Greene, who both work for the University of Kentucky, recently spoke to several convicted drug traffickers at a federal prison in hopes of putting a face on a crime they say is far from victimless.

"They had poker faces," David Greene said of the stoic audience as he talked about the addiction and death of his son, who had a fiancee and little girl. "I couldn't tell if they were thinking, 'Shut up. Stop talking.' "

But after the Greenes spoke, about a dozen prisoners formed a line to personally thank them for sharing their story. Domonique had died after using heroin laced with fentanyl, a cheaper and much more dangerous drug that dealers sometimes mix with heroin without the buyer's knowledge.

One drug trafficker told the Lexington couple, "I felt every word."

Another man, husky and with neck tattoos, teared up as he shook David Greene's hand and said, "I never thought about the families. I thought, 'It's just a junkie and I'm making money.' "

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Harvey, who spoke to the prisoners, put them on notice that his office – and others across the country – are cracking down on drug traffickers. A conviction for illegally distributing drugs that cause serious injury or death brings a minimum sentence of 20 years in a federal prison, where parole is not an option, he told them.

“If you have a previous drug felony, that mandatory penalty goes up to life," Harvey said in a video of the prison visit. "Which means if that happens to you, you will die in prison.”

"You have the power to decide what you’re going to do when you walk out of here. Don’t be the one who sells the drugs that destroys another life and leaves behind grieving people who will never be the same."

David Greene urged Lynch to encourage long prison sentences, "as long as possible," in overdose cases across the country.

Another couple, Walt and Debbie Rains – who met and fell in love at Churchill Downs – joined the USA H.E.A.T. movement to share the loss of their only son, Zac, who became addicted to heroin but ended up taking pure fentanyl.

Walt Rains has spoken to churches and community groups, while his wife – a teacher – opts to warn students, who often confide in her about their exposure to addiction.

Zac Rains, 24, was a newlywed with a baby on the way and plans to listen to some of his favorite bands at Louisville's Forecastle Festival when he overdosed and died on July 4, 2015. His mother, who found him, remembers sitting on her porch hours later, trying to process the loss as she watched neighbors mow their yards to prepare for holiday parties.

She wants federal lawmakers to fund better treatment options for addiction without waiting for an available bed.

"We need to have more H.E.A.T. programs and more speaking out," Debbie Rains said. "It's out there. These kids are facing it in their homes. It's not just something we're talking about."

The Rainses want kids and adults to realize addiction can happen to anyone. They thought they were protecting their son by keeping him busy with Catholic high school in Lexington and sports, including frequent trips to Louisville to play in a community soccer club. The Greenes said they carefully screened their son's friends, not realizing that a high school football player's mother provided Domonique with Xanax and that a family friend introduced him to heroin.

"As a dad, what is tearing my heart apart is that it was able to slip inside my house with my being there," David Greene told the prisoners, according to a video of the session. "It still got my son."

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On Tuesday, Lynch also hosted a youth town hall meeting in the morning at Madison (County) Central High School in Richmond, cautioning teens about the dangers of experimenting with drugs. After meeting the members of USA H.E.A.T., Lynch headed to the University of Kentucky to deliver a speech on what the Justice Department is doing to address the epidemic.

Lynch said she will issue a memo later this week to Harvey and other U.S. attorneys across the country emphasizing an "all hands on deck" approach to the heroin epidemic, including an emphasis on tracking and dismantling prescription pill mills and other drug organizations. Her visit comes the same day the Obama administration announced new initiatives, including expanding access to treatment, and urged Congress to approve the $1.1 billion pricetag.

During a conference call between Lynch, other White House officials and reporters Monday, she said her goal is "making sure everyone is involved in this fight."

Reporter Beth Warren can be reached at (502) 582-7164 or bwarren@courier-journal.com.