It’s not just an urban drug from the past. Heroin is popping up again, and it’s more dangerous than ever.
While drug use among teens isn’t going away anytime soon, heroin had seemed to fade from its all-time grunge high in the early and mid-’90s. Apparently, enough time has passed since the death of Kurt Cobain and others Seattle musicians who succumbed to the deadly drug because The Kansas City Star recently reported that suburban teens are partaking once again.
The award-winning newspaper reports that the problem has shown up in New York, Illinois, Alabama, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Utah and Washington state, with heroin use on the rise among suburban youth. The experts say the numbers are still low, but spikes in overdoses and even deaths show an alarming trend.
Why is Heroin Use on the Rise?
One police precinct handled five cases involving heroin and youth last month after not seeing any in five years. Some speculate that teen users are graduating up to heroin after starting out using other opiates like the prescription painkillers OxyContin and Vicodin. Why are teens making the switch from often readily available prescription meds, frequently found as close by as their parents’ medicine cabinet? Because once their at-home stash runs out, painkillers cost $40-60 per pill on the street, while heroin provides a more intense high for $5-10 per bag.
Many parents think of heroin as an urban drug found in seedy downtown neighborhoods, but with the drug rising in popularity again, dealers are cropping up in middle- and upper-class suburban neighborhoods, too.
While heroin isn’t new, today’s version has one dangerous difference – it’s nearly twice as pure as its 1960s and ’70s counterpart, making it possible to smoke or snort, The Kansas City Star reports. Of course, after regular use, it’s usually only a matter of time before someone turns to shooting up.
Heroin Addiction Treatment
If you or someone you love is battling a heroin addiction, call The Oaks at La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
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