Heroin use is killing our citizens
Heroin use and prescription drug use and heroin use across the state of Ohio is getting out of control. It isn’t just something that is plaguing the poor areas of this great state; it has made its way into the suburbs, into the schools and into more lives than ever seen before. The state is facing an epidemic that has not ever been seen before; active addicts say that heroin and pills are so prevalent that “it’s literally falling from the sky”.
Why is this happening? How did the addiction rate get to just disastrous rates so fast? Many families are doctors. Many crooked doctors are writing more prescriptions than Shakespeare wrote plays. These prescriptions aren’t for some generic antibiotic but for synthetic forms of heroin, pills like Hydrocodone and Oxycotin. Doctors are writing these prescriptions for the same reason drug dealers sell drugs, to make money. These pills are littering the streets and the schools of even the smallest towns, their addictive traits are equal to heroin use and morphine. People are easily getting hooked and becoming daily users.
As one’s addiction progresses the amount of pills they consume in a 24 hour period rises, money will eventually become very slim. Many turn to the cheaper and more dangerous alternative; heroin use. At about 1/5 the cost of pills many addicts will turn to heroin within the first 2 years of their addiction. Drug overdose rates with both prescription pills and heroin are consistently rising every year.
Unintentional drug overdoses caused 1,914 deaths to Ohio residents based on data in 2012. This is the highest number of deaths on record for drug overdose and surpasses the previous highest number (1,765) in 2011 by 8.4 percent. Many are related to both heroin use and prescription drug use.
Opioids (prescription or heroin) remain the driving factor behind the unintentional drug overdose epidemic in Ohio. Approximately two-thirds (1,272; 66.5 percent) of the drug overdoses involved any opioid in 2012, similar to 2011 (1,154; 65 percent). These numbers have almost tripled since 1990.
The 2011 Department of Justice 2011 National Drug Threat Assessment states; “New users frequently overdose because they are unfamiliar with their tolerance levels; users resuming heroin use after prolonged absences often restart at their prior dosage level, even though their tolerance may have declined in the interim.” In response to why the overdose rate has risen so much over the past decade.
What can citizens do to help save their state?
Speak to you kids and speak to the often about the dangers of prescription drug use. Have a drug test handy in case you ever feel like your child or friend maybe using, you can help stop it before it gets completely out of hand. Be informed about the signs of drug use. Knowing when someone is struggling and seeking out help for them is a good way to start. Get informed about treatment options for those who are in the midst of addiction, help get them into these programs before it’s too late.
With rising drug rates come a rise in crime, even if you are not being effected 1st hand by this epidemic it can still affect your life.
