Heroin Use Is Rising
By Holly ZuluagaTRI-CITIES—KEPR Action News uncovered a boom in heroin use in the Tri-Cities. MultimediaWe've been following the growth of black tar heroin in our community for nearly a year now. Since then, police have seen the numbers increase by more than 100%. KEPR Action News met a man who says he was lucky to escape heroin addiction. We've concealed his identity to protect his privacy in Narcotics Anonymous. We'll call him “John”. “Snorting cocaine didn't seem to be working anymore and he asked me if I wanted to try heroin and I go sure,” John said. John says his drug began with pot, ramped up to pills and coke, and eventually to shooting heroin. “I was a little apprehensive the first time I used it because not because I’m afraid of needles, but I didn't really consider myself a druggie up until that time,” John said. John felt he was hooked from the start. “I know the first time I never recaptured it because it was just so intense, I mean it just felt like my body was on fire,” Scott Child, Commander for Metro Drug Task Force said. John says “chasing the dragon” become his number one priority. Police aren't surprised. They tell me they've found much more heroin this year than in years past. Back in 2004, officers confiscated just 18 grams. That's equivalent to about 45 hits. In 2008 that number jumped to 126 grams. So far this year 393 grams of heroin have been seized by local police, that's nearly a thousand hits and the year is far from over. Action News asked Scott Child, the Commander for the Metro Drug Task Force, what he attributed the growth to. “One of the dangers that we've really seen an increase in is pharmaceuticals and a lot times in plain English that would be pain pills, people wind up getting hooked, it's a gateway drug,” Scott Child, Commander for the Metro Drug Task Force said. Police tell Action News that after people get hooked on pills, they switch to heroin because it's more bang for your buck. Essentially, you can get a similar feeling for a lot cheaper. John says he could get his fix any time. “Heroin is in many cases easier to get then pharmaceuticals,” Scott Child, the Commander for the Metro Drug Task Force said. Getting off of it isn’t easy at all. “If I went without it for any period of time, by body revolted,” Scott Child, the Commander for the Metro Drug Task Force said. John says he's drug-free. He's getting an education and has a good job. However, as heroin use grows some may not be as lucky as John. Police tell KEPR Action News our drug supply comes here from Mexico. Investigators say the Tri-Cities has become a hub because of the easy highway access around town. |
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