Pubdate: Tue, 31 Jul 2012
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA)
Copyright: 2012 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Contact: http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/letters/sendletter.html
Website: http://www.ajc.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/28
Author: Christian Boone

HEROIN USE ENCROACHES ON SUBURBS

Heroin is mounting a comeback, appealing to a younger, more diverse 
audience than ever before, experts say.

And there are signs the supply is meeting that increased demand in 
communities previously untouched by heroin trafficking. Last week, 
the Cherokee County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad arrested two men for 
trafficking - Brandon Ray, 22, of Acworth, Richard Edwards, 31, of 
Woodstock - in an undercover sting, recovering four grams of brown 
Mexican heroin.

"We've arrested people for [heroin] possession before, but never 
trafficking," said Phil Price, commander of the Cherokee narcotics squad.

Nationally, heroin use has spiked, with users skewering young and the 
consequences more fatal than ever. Data from the Substance Abuse and 
Mental Health Services Administration reveals that 510 people between 
the ages of 15 and 24 died of a heroin overdose in 2009, the last 
year figures were compiled, compared to 198 in 1999.

But, according to GBI spokesman John Bankhead, heroin overdoses 
reported in Georgia actually declined in 2010. Out of 729 drug 
overdose deaths autopsied by the GBI in 2010, three were attributed 
solely to heroin, down from 10 (of 670 drug-related deaths) the previous year.

That's subject to change, said Bankhead, noting the bureau's 2011 
figures will be released in two weeks.

Steven Lee, program director of the young adult addiction program at 
Smyrna's Ridgeview Institute, said he's seen a noticeable rise in 
heroin abuse among his patients.

"It's really hit the fan the last five years, especially the last 
couple of years. We're seeing [patients] who historically would never 
be caught dead taking this stuff."

They're driven by cost, he said. Heroin is much cheaper than, say, an 
Oxycontin tablet, which typically sells for $30.

"A lot of young kids start on grandma's Percocets and they get 
hooked," said Lee, adding that prescription painkillers often serve 
as a gateway to heroin use.

Moreover, today's heroin appears to be more potent, according to Price.

"In the '90s, much of the heroin was coming from southwest Asia, and 
it was cut way down," he said. "The stuff we're seeing now, from 
Mexico and South America, isn't being cut as much."
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