Heroin (MAP)

The Observer-Dispatch, 13 Apr 2014 - Anyone who has seen the ravages of addiction knows how devastating it can be. Programs that can help combat that need our full support because in one way or another, addiction takes a toll on us all. The latest epidemic is the opioid heroin. Opioid overdoses, including those from heroin, killed more than 2,000 New Yorkers in 2011 - double the number that died in 2004, according to the state attorney general's office. A main reason for its resurgence: Heroin is cheaper than the prescription drugs it often replaces. And plentiful.

Las Vegas Sun, 13 Apr 2014 - How Your Medicine Cabinet Can Lead You To A Back Alley Drug Not even the funeral of his beloved older brother, dead from a lethal injection of their shared drug of choice, could put the brakes on Dylan Engle's downward spiral.

The News-Item, 07 Apr 2014 - Packed Facilities, Expensive Treatment and Insurance Non-Coverage Are Blamed NEW YORK (AP) - As the ranks of heroin users rise, increasing numbers of addicts are looking for help but are failing to find it-because there are no beds in packed facilities, treatment is hugely expensive and insurance companies won't pay for inpatient rehab.

Cumberland Times-News, 07 Apr 2014 - [Cumberland] EDITOR'S NOTE - The death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman underscored a troubling development: Heroin, long a scourge of the back alleys of American life, has spread across the country. Last of a three-part series. AURORA, Ill. - Just out of Cook County Jail after being arrested with 15 bags of heroin, Cody Lewis had all of $11 in his pocket. But not for long.

Business Courier, 07 Apr 2014 - HAMILTON -A deadly combination of heroin and a potent analgesic is becoming more evident in the region as fatal overdoses rise. Investigators say that some heroin sold on the streets is laced with the narcotic fentanyl to make a dangerous cocktail known in other parts of the nation as "killer heroin."

Washington Post, 07 Apr 2014 - As Changing State Laws Cut Pot Prices, Cartels Turn to Opium Poppies TEPACA DE BADIRAGUATO, MEXICO - The surge of cheap heroin spreading in $4 hits across rural America can be traced back to the remote valleys of the northern Sierra Madre.

Cumberland Times-News, 06 Apr 2014 - In Many Cases, Insurance Won't Cover Rehab Costs [Cumberland] EDITOR'S NOTE - The death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman underscored a troubling development: Heroin, long a scourge of the back alleys of American life, has spread across the country. Second of a three-part series.

Morning Sun, 06 Apr 2014 - (AP) - Some states, including Michigan, are reporting a rise in heroin use as many addicts shift from more costly and harder-toget prescription opiates to this cheaper alternative. A look at what's happening in Michigan: The problem

The News-Item, 06 Apr 2014 - 'We're All Paying' For This Scourge On a beautiful Sunday last October, Detective Dan Douglas stood in a suburban Minnesota home and looked downat a lifeless 20-year-old - a needle mark in his arm, a syringe in his pocket. It didn't take long for Douglas to realize that the man, fresh out of treatment, was his second heroin overdose that day.

News & Observer, 06 Apr 2014 - DURHAM -- Long before the overdose death of actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman thrust heroin back into the headlines this winter, the return of the potent narcotic was already known to police and public health officials in North Carolina. Heroin, which emerged in popular culture in the 1940s as an exotic product associated with jazz musicians and later became known as the dead-end drug of junkies in movies and songs, had never gone away. A few dozen people died of heroin overdoses in North Carolina each year since 2000, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. But in 2012, heroin deaths nearly doubled statewide, to 148, while overall deaths from all narcotics and hallucinogenic drugs ticked up only slightly. WakeMed hospitals throughout Wake County admitted 50 people for heroin overdoses in 2013, more than twice the annual average of the previous five years, said spokeswoman Kristin Kelly.

News & Observer, 06 Apr 2014 - DURHAM - Heroin may be a new drug for some who are switching from prescription painkillers. It is not new to April Elizabeth. Elizabeth, 32, is a heroin addict. She grew up in East Durham in a family ravaged by drugs a father she described as a raging alcoholic, a mother hooked on prescription pills and an older brother whose addiction to crack keeps him in and out of prison. At her request, The News & Observer agreed not to use her full name.

Bismarck Tribune, 06 Apr 2014 - BISMARCK, N.D. - Once thought by North Dakotans to be only a big city drug, heroin sales and use are increasing in the state, authorities say. U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon called the spike in heroin use in North Dakota "new and disturbing." He said it's the result of the abuse of prescription painkillers, a growing population and drug trafficking operations that are primarily targeting the state's rich oil patch region. "When you have an increased population with a lot of money, it's a more desirable market for drug dealers to move into," Purdon said. "They follow the money."

Cumberland Times-News, 05 Apr 2014 - Between 2006 And 2010, Overdose Deaths Rose 45 Percent On a beautiful Sunday last October, Detective Dan Douglas stood in a suburban Minnesota home and looked down at a lifeless 20-year-old - a needle mark in his arm, a syringe in his pocket. It didn't take long for Douglas to realize that the man, fresh out of treatment, was his second heroin overdose that day.

Daily Reporter, 05 Apr 2014 - CHARLESTON, West Virginia - Some states, including West Virginia, are reporting a rise in heroin use as many addicts shift from more costly and harder-to-get prescription opiates to this cheaper alternative. A look at what's happening in West Virginia: THE PROBLEM:

Detroit Free Press, 05 Apr 2014 - Some states, including Michigan, are reporting a rise in heroin use as many addicts shift from more costly and harder-to-get prescription opiates to this cheaper alternative. A look at what's happening in Michigan:

The Boston Globe Magazine, 03 Apr 2014 - ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - As deaths from heroin and other opiate drugs rise throughout New York, state officials are planning to equip police with an antidote to reverse the effects of overdoses. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced the Community Overdose Prevention program on Thursday, saying it will let every state and local law enforcement officer carry naloxone.

Newsday, 02 Apr 2014 - A Holtsville couple ran a heroin enterprise for at least a year out of the home they shared with up to 10 children until it was broken last month, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said Wednesday. [name redacted], 27, and her husband, [name redacted], 57, ran the drug ring from their Holtsville home, which served as the "main distribution point" for pickups by dealers from Holbrook and at least six other Suffolk communities, authorities said.

Star-News, 18 Mar 2014 - Heroin has made a comeback, and it is destroying lives in the Cape Fear region. It's cheap, plentiful, addictive - and deadly. What is most discouraging is that the experts admit demand for the opiate will ensure a steady supply, even as police take down major dealers and traffickers. Arresting key players disrupts the market for a while, but soon other suppliers will take their place. StarNews reporters Mike Voorheis and Adam Wagner dug beneath the surface for a grim look into Wilmington's heroin problem and the people who can't function without it. It was a stark look at just how easy it is to get heroin, and how tough it is to kick the habit.

Star-News, 17 Mar 2014 - The reality of the number of people tied to heroin trafficking - and, more generally, the drug trade - led the criminal justice system to shift its emphasis away from users. "We're not fighting a war on drugs. That was lost years ago," said Ben David, New Hanover County's district attorney. "We're fighting a war against drug dealers."

Star-News, 16 Mar 2014 - In September 2012, the then-captain of the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office's Vice and Narcotics Unit predicted that efforts to curb prescription drug use could be a "double-edged sword" causing users to seek out heroin instead. Now, 18 months later, that prognosis looks spot-on as the streets of Wilmington and highways of Brunswick County are awash with heroin, a drug Ben and Jon David, the district attorneys for New Hanover and Brunswick counties, respectively, both call "suicide on the installment plan."