Pubdate: Sat, 08 Jul 2006 Source: Dayton Daily News (OH) Copyright: 2006 Dayton Daily News Contact: http://www.daytondailynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/120 Author: Lou Grieco, Staff Writer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin) DAYTON, COLUMBUS RANK HIGH FOR HEROIN USERS Addicts Of Prescription Drugs Are Increasingly Turning To Heroin, Which Is Easier To Obtain In Most Cities DAYTON -- Drug users rank Dayton and Columbus as the two Ohio cities where heroin in most available, according to a study done for the state's monitoring network. ToolsPrint this pageE-mail this pageMost popularTop 5 stories Judge: Camera that catches speeders is unconstitutional WSU to get new president in '07 Police: Woman overpowers paramedics, then steals ambulance Wreck rolls truck, spilling grain along U.S. 42 Lighter may have set off Thursday blast RSS headlines available "Dayton historically has been known as a very strong source of heroin," said Robert G. Carlson, director of Wright State University's Center for Interventions, Treatment and Addictions Research. Carlson's group oversaw the study, which used focus groups and interviews of drug users, substance abuse treatment providers and crime lab officials around the state, for the Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network. Drug users were asked to rank the availability of heroin on a scale of 1 to 10. The data, which is from last fall, shows that Dayton and Columbus drug users ranked the availability as 9.5. Dayton was considerably higher than Akron or Toledo, but Carlson said he wasn't surprised. "We've continued to see that trend over time," he said. He said he didn't know why Dayton ranked so much higher than other middle-sized cities. Part of the growing problem, he said, is the increasing abuse of heroin statewide, and in Dayton, among white suburban youth, which OSAM has tracked since at least January 2000. In 1999, just under half of all heroin overdose treatments at hospitals were white patients. By 2003, nearly 70 percent were, according to a 2004 OSAM study. Part of that trend is due to people who become addicted to prescription analgesics, such as Vicodin, Carlson said. They suffer withdrawal, but the drug is hard to get, so they turn to heroin, he said. In the meantime, heroin has become easier to obtain, which is shown by the drop in street values. The price of heroin in the Dayton area has dropped, from $200 per gram in 2000 to $150 in 2004, another OSAM study showed. "We see the same thing with cocaine of course," Carlson said. "The market is being flooded with cocaine and heroin as well." [Sidebar] Some facts on heroin: its effects, symptoms | Q What is heroin? A Heroin is a highly addictive derivative of morphine, extracted from the seedpods of certain poppy plants. Known among users as "smack," "junk," "H," and a host of other slang terms, heroin is produced in the form of a white or brown powder, or a black tar-like substance. Street heroin is often spliced with other substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk, and in some cases, toxic poisons such as strychnine. Although heroin is most commonly introduced into the blood stream through injection, it can also be sniffed or smoked. Q What are the effects of heroin? A Heroin triggers a euphoric rush accompanied by a warm flush of the skin, dry mouth, and weighted extremities. The initial effects are followed by a period of drowsiness, slowed breathing, and impeded brain function. Long-term effects of heroin use include collapsed veins, abscesses, liver disease, pneumonia, brain damage, and death. Heroin addicts experience withdrawal symptoms within hours of the previous dosage of heroin that continue for about a week. Withdrawal symptoms include insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes, and uncontrollable movement. In addicts with ill health, withdrawal can result in death. Sources: National Institute on Drug Abuse, Wikipedia, Cornell Law School, www.heroinaddiction.com/heroin-timeline.html - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman