Pubdate: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 Source: Daily Herald (IL) Copyright: 2000 The Daily Herald Company Contact: http://www.dailyherald.com/ ON GUARD NOW AGAINST HEROIN USE The death of a Buffalo Grove High School student from a presumed heroin overdose is shocking - shocking for the loss of a promising young man and shocking for the presence of a drug to which suburban police and parents have given little thought. Everyone knows that far too many suburban teens drink and that some use marijuana and, more recently, Ecstasy and other drugs popular on the club scene. Those known factors are sufficiently disturbing. But heroin? Any serious heroin influx would take concerns about the region's drug problems to a new level. Fortunately, there is no indication that this highly addictive and dangerous drug is gaining a broad foothold in the suburbs. Suburban police say they rarely see it at all, and educators seem to agree. Some suburban teens say any drug is available for a price, but even they don't seem to be aware of any real surge in heroin use among their peers. There is, in short, no need to panic about heroin use among high school students. But this one tragic death should prompt police, parents and educators to keep their eyes open and to make sure they continue to impress on teens the hazards and high stakes of drug use. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart