Marijuana has been at the forefront of the drug debate as many states are either legalizing it or putting it on the ballot for potential legalization; with that being said, there has been a gigantic spike in the use of heroin across the nation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, heroin use has skyrocketed in the U.S. amongst men, women and people of all socio-economic levels. Furthermore, the increase has affected demographics not typically associated with the drug: women, the privately insured and people with substantially higher incomes.
As heroin use has increased, heroin-related overdose deaths have increased as well. Between 2002 and 2013, the number of overdose-related deaths has quadrupled; moreover, 8,200 people died in 2013 as a result of using the drug.
Heroin use has increased by 63 percent in the last decade; however, some drug experts have compared it to other drug cycles and believe that its popularity will wane over time. Clinical addiction psychiatrist, Dr. Brad Lander, at Ohio State University’s Wexler Medical Center, stated that, “drug epidemics go in cycles and the heroin epidemic will disappear over time.”
Dr. Lander has worked in the field of drug addiction for over 33 years and has encountered first-hand, the increase and decrease in popularity, of a variety of drugs. He compared the heroin epidemic with the crack epidemic that was prevalent around 1985 and said, “A lot of patients at that time were coming in because of crack addiction. After there was enough public outcry, people stopped getting into it as much.”
There is a theory that the increase in heroin use has something to do with prescription drug abuse; moreover, it is believed that individuals that abuse opioid painkillers such as Hydrocodone, Oxycodone and Codeine are much more susceptible to heroin use. Furthermore, heroin is much cheaper and accessible in comparison to opium.
On the street, heroin can be purchased for as low as $4; furthermore, through the dark web, it can be delivered to your doorstep in the suburbs.
Safe-injection sites are one method in which people combat this epidemic. It’s controversial, but the idea is that there are injection centers where addicts are supervised and are permitted to use a small amount of heroin in a safe place. If nothing else, this gives them a safe place to use rather than being stranded on the street. In Canada, the government has approved a pharmaceutical grade heroin that can be prescribed to patients when all else has failed. Opponents of these options attest that these would do nothing to help break the vicious cycle of addiction; moreover, they assert the methadone clinics that have been used for years are much more effective.
Increasing the number of treatment facilities has been one method in which the government has tried to curb heroin addiction. For instance, the Obama administration had expanded access to these treatment centers and increased the number of patients physicians can treat with Buprenorphine. Buprenorphine, better known as Suboxone, is a drug which can suppress appetite and curb the cravings for opioids.
There is a program known as Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion which invites addicts to go to law enforcement for guidance regarding treatment. The idea behind it is that police should help addicts get treatment rather than simply arresting them.
I believe there’s a certain image that comes to mind when people think of addicts. However, as this epidemic has shown, people from all backgrounds and walks of life can develop an addiction. Therefore, it is paramount, in my opinion, that one keeps an open mind in relation to the treatment of addicts.
The heroin epidemic is an alarming issue that is sweeping across all demographics. People from all backgrounds, throughout the country, are swept up in its undercurrent, so to speak. It has drawn comparisons to the crack epidemic and has wreaked havoc on many communities.
Whatever the case may be, it is something that needs to be addressed on a national scale before it becomes worse.
