South Charleston Case Study

Heroin is a drug that has taken over the western world in recent years. Considered to be one of the most dangerous drugs, heroin has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. A highly addictive drug, heroin has swept the nation and has achieved epidemic status. An opiate, heroin is used as a painkiller and is known for its euphoric effects. There are many dangers that come with the abuse of heroin such as death but there are even more serious issues that can arise from the drug.

In August of 2016, twenty-six people lives changed, and may never be fixed. In only one week these twenty-six people overdosed on heroin, which three of them died (Police). This is the unseen epidemic because of how unaware people are. People are blind to the prevalence in our community, rising rate of deaths, and seizures, lastly that Narcan will become counterproductive. This unseen epidemic is growing faster than anyone knows, and has to be addressed head on.

rate and cities are struggling to find solutions. The CDC reports that 27,000 people die each year due to heroin overdoses. The jails are filled with offenders, that once released go out and use again, continuing a cycle of insanity without producing answers. Youths experiment with drugs, which is nothing new, but the availability of heroin, meth and the lack of education has contributed greatly to this epidemic. No one seemed to be paying any attention until it reached epidemic proportions, or as some have suggested, became "a white middle class problem" that surpassed the poor minority population.

“...from that moment on I didn't take heroin because I wanted to, I took it because I needed to.” Heroin is a highly addictive, illegal drug that comes from the opium plant. In just the year 2014, 12,000 people in the United States died from heroin overdoses. The York County community has made a big effort to help fight the heroin epidemic, but despite these efforts the county is clearly still struggling with over 60 overdose deaths last year. Some of the efforts York County is making include the use of NARCAN, drug drop boxes, the Good Samaritan law and treatment courts.

Many articles I have read say that both law enforcement agencies and state officials suspect that the rise of heroin abuse is due to many reasons. One theory is that because local and federal drug agencies have been shutting down illegal prescription pill mills, and that drug abusers that were hooked on prescription opiates are seeking out cheaper alternatives such as heroin (Kounang, 2015). “Heroin seems to be the drug of choice right now for a number of reasons. Users can inject it, they can snort it and it’s very, very inexpensive and easy to obtain. We’re are seeing that it is cheaper in Providence than it is here in Massachusetts.” stated Ramos when I asked him why it’s so popular. In my opinion, one thing is clear. Both national and local authorities are making an effort to combat this growing issue. They are not turning a blind eye to this epidemic.

Some residents of New Hanover County find that statistic new and shocking. However, many others have dealt with the issue for a significant amount of time. As you leave the tourist areas of New Hanover County, you find public housing projects, trailer parks, and parks littered with discarded hypodermic needles. To people who live in these places, the opioid crisis already made an impact on everyday life and no longer captures people’s attention. For example, Joe Stanley, a former addict interviewed by NC Policy Watch said that people in Wilmington had been dealing with a drug problem for years. However, it has become big news “because you’re seeing that other demographic

The Deputy coroner for Kendall County, Jacquie Purcell, reported 3 deaths to the DEA. Ms. Purcell was informed to keep an eye out to see if the heroin usage was a trend or just a bad batch that had gotten out. Also, the Deputy Coroner for Kane County, Loren Carrera, reported that Kendall county deaths from heroin are underreported. This is due to the fact that some residents will go to Mercy Center or Copley Hospital for assistance which is not in Kendall County. Once the people do this, the incidence becomes a case for Kane County, not Kendall. With that being said, Deputy Chief Terry Klingel of Yorkville is in contact with officials at Kane County Police department to deal with the issue. According to Kendall County Sheriff Dwight Baird, “education is the only way to combat the drugs spread.” As a consequence, during his time as Chief in Oswego Illinois, the police department had a forum on the effects of heroin usage for the students at Oswego East High

The city of Plano, Texas, recently earned a spot at the top of Forbes‘s list of “safest places” to live in the United States. Its early efforts at chasing the top prize, however, were part of a cocktail of ignorance and poor judgment that had deadly consequences for Plano’s teenagers. Plano only earned its long-sought distinction after overcoming the fallout from highly publicized episodes of teen drug overdose and suicide in the 1980s and 90s. During the 1990s, scientists at the National Institute of Health detected a nationwide rise in heroin use (Biederman). The spike was seen not only in large, urban environments, where it was perhaps not unprecedented, but also in small towns and more affluent suburbs. Plano, an affluent, newer suburb twenty miles north of Dallas, was not immune. It witnessed heroin’s devastating impact firsthand in Plano’s children, particularly those in high school. Between 1996 and 1998, heroin overdoses were the cause of 18 deaths in Plano’s young residents. But because Plano was one of the richest cities in Texas and was still recovering from the cultural backlash of cluster suicides in the 1980s, its civic and business leaders and to some extent the police tried to obfuscate the city’s heroin problem rather than confront it directly. It paid a high price for these tactics, and it took Plano decades to rebound from the fallout.

However, I argue these changes are motivated by the changing face of heroin or its increasing use among the white suburban middle class. For instance, more social resources have been allocated to today’s Heroin epidemic compared to harsh crime laws issued in the 1990’s used to combat the Drug War. One can argue that the United States has taken steps to improve the treatment of drug users, but this overlooks the fact that there is an

In my opinion, there is a heroin epidemic within my community and many other communities nationwide. In Will County in December of 2015 one of my childhood friends passed away from a heroin overdose. Heroin use is an issue that is prevalent within our community and has affected an immeasurable amount of people. Heroin addiction is extremely detrimental to young adults and must be combated with a multi-faceted approach. The prevalence of pill mills, teen’s access to prescription pills, a lack of drug education, and the defunding for alternative pain management strategies have driven the increased demand for heroin. The defunding of physical rehabilitation centers and the increased focus on prescription medication as the answer to all aliments

Who would expect that a town known for their excellent education systems, well developed economy, and rapid population expansion to have the highest record of heroin deaths in one year in the United States? Naperville, Illinois, is a suburb of Chicago, has been dealing with the loss of seven young adults from overdoses of heroin in 2011 (Wilson). The early deaths of these young people are completely avoidable. Having proper knowledge of the warning signs that heroin displays can help; but to further the knowledge, having videos available to watch helps parents talk to their kids about drug use. Better communication can always help any problem, which is another tactic that the city of Naperville is planning to do.

This video was extremely riveting and eye-opening. I learned the about the dire straits our country is saddled with concerning the heroin epidemic. I was surprised to know that overdoses from heroin saw a 164% increase in West Virginia. The death toll doubled from 2011 through 2013.

Heroin is readily available and cheap. How does a small-town deal with it? To begin with it, the town needs to change their thinking and their vocabulary. Changing their vocabulary and looking at the heroin addict as a person and not as addict is the first step. The town needs to see it as a disease, just like cancer or any other health issue. The town needs to help remove the stigma associated with the heroin addiction, bring it out of the closet and let the heroin addict know they can get help. Remove the shame because addiction, judgment, and embarrassment go hand in hand.

Heroin has long been a overwhelming problem in Maryland. There are too many deaths caused by Heroin.. This is an issue because the local government has not been able to stop its spread. In fact, heroin use has increased dramatically over the recent years. Because of this, the people are calling for extra measures to be taken to fight heroin use.

When it comes to this topic I am not that knowledgeable on heroin. My family and I haven't went through something significant like using heroin or any kind of drugs like that. What I do know this reminds me of when last semester we had a panel on Heroin at our University in the MPR room. When I was there I listen and heard how can destroy a family. A cop had a son who was using heroin, and he tried to help him as best as he can. The son later on in the story went to rehab to get clean, and he was successful in doing that. The son was also at the panel with is father the cop as a surprise ending. So from what I know is Edinboro, and Erie are taking steps to address heroin going out making it known. Telling people heroin is back with a force.