Pubdate: Sat, 09 Aug 2014
Source: Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL)
Copyright: 2014 Southern Illinoisan
Contact:  http://www.TheSouthern.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1430
Author: Chris Hottensen

HEROIN CRISIS ON THE HORIZON FOR REGION

MOUNT VERNON -- An old drug is making a deadly comeback.

First synthesized in 1874 and a drug of choice in the 1970s, heroin
use is once again increasing around the nation and law enforcement and
drug treatment counselors claim it could reach epidemic proportions in
Southern Illinois.

"It hasn't gotten here, but it's coming big time," Wendell Arms,
Comprehensive Connections substance abuse therapist, said. "We've seen
a 17 percent increase in our treatment agency -- just with heroin
alone. It's coming. It's right around the corner, and if we don't get
ready for it, we're going to get washed away with another addictive
process."

Health care professionals, substance abuse counselors and law
enforcement personnel served notice about the growing problem Friday
during a Southern Illinois Community Forum at Crossroads Community
Hospital.

A cheaper alternative

Heroin's growth is due, in part, to the drug being a cheaper
alternative to addictive prescription drugs.

"The pharmaceuticals are expensive," Tom McNamara, special projects
coordinator for the Southern Illinois Enforcement Group, said.
"They're way too expensive, and the tighter it gets, the more
expensive it's going to be. One 80 milligram oxycotin is $80 on the
street."

Bruce Angleman of Heritage Behavioral Center said the prescription
monitoring program has had success at combating prescription drug
abuse, but that success has bred some unfortunate effects.

"One of the unintended consequences of that, though, is that then
leaves fertile ground for the cartels to move in and push very high
potency and very cheap heroin, which is much more addictive," Angleman
said.

More potent drug

McNamara said his enforcement group has handled 30 heroin cases in the
last 10 years and 26 of them have occurred in the last 24 months.

The heroin available today is more potent than that used in the 1970s.
Most heroin used now is 30 to 50 percent pure, compared to 5 to 7
percent 40 years ago, McNamara said.

With greater purity, there is a greater potential for overdose and
first-time users can be introduced to heroin in less invasive methods
than injections.

"You can smoke this stuff, you can certainly snort it, you can eat it
if you want and of course, ultimately you're going to end up with
needles in your arm," McNamara said.

Fighting the drug with drugs

Unlike in the 1970s, physicians and law enforcement personnel now have
medical weapons to combat heroin's effects.

Dr. Michael Blain, a physician with the Christopher Rural Health
Planning Corporation, is licensed to prescribe suboxone, a drug that
helps curb patients' addiction to heroin.

Blain said a patient can get off suboxone in seven to nine months.
Each patient is required to go through counseling.

"Giving them suboxone will not make them sober. It's a very nice tool
and we're very happy to provide it," Blain said. "But that's all it
is. Make no mistake about it, without the counseling, the support
system and staying away from people who use drugs, they will relapse."

Some emergency personnel are also being equipped with and trained to
dispense naloxone (also known as narcan), a drug that immediately
reverses heroin's effects.

"Police officers, firefighters and EMT's need it. We need to be
trained to be able to use it because it's a wonderful thing. It stops
people from quitting breathing because unfortunately that's what an
opiate will do," McNamara said.

Attacking the problem

Law enforcement won't be able to solve this problem alone. McNamara
said it will take community leaders, doctors, substance abuse
counselors and citizens coming together.

"We can't legislate our way out of it, we can't arrest our way out of
it, and we can't treat our way out of it," Angleman said. "We need all
of those pieces working together with the community if we're going to
address this issue."

Angleman predicted the situation will get worse before it gets
better.

Angie Hampton, Egyptian Health Department CEO, called the situation a
crisis that "we all feel a responsibility to stop."

The forum's purpose was to bring together law enforcement, treatment
providers, the prescription monitoring program and probation officers
to form a regional action plan. The plan will focus on targeting drug
overdoses in the region.

"We know there's going to be strength in numbers," Hampton said. "We
will have more of an opportunity to impact legislation, more
opportunity for regional response when we're asking for prevention
funding."
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MAP posted-by: Matt