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What is Heroin?. Heroin is a highly addictive drug derived from morphine, which is obtained from the opium poppy. It is a “downer” or depressant that affects the brain’s pleasure systems and interferes with the brain’s ability to perceive pain. How is heroin used?.
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What is Heroin? Heroin is a highly addictive drug derived from morphine, which is obtained from the opium poppy. It is a “downer” or depressant that affects the brain’s pleasure systems and interferes with the brain’s ability to perceive pain.
How is heroin used? • Heroin can be smoked snorted or injected. But according to law enforcement all roads lead to injection because of the intensity of the “High”
Heroin hits the street in small packages for easy distribution! The user can heat the drug and then draw up the liquid in a syringe for injection.
What are the short term affects of heroin use? • The short-term effects of heroin abuse appear soon after a single dose and disappear in a few hours. The user reports feeling a surge of euphoria (“rush”) accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, a dry mouth, and heavy extremities.
Following this initial euphoria, the user goes “on the nod,” an alternately wakeful and drowsy state. Mental functioning becomes clouded due to the depression of the central nervous system. Other effects included slowed and slurred speech, slow gait.
Other signs of heroin use include constricted pupils, droopy eyelids, impaired night vision, vomiting, constipation. Pin point pupils!
Overdose occurs because heroin like morphine is a central nervous system depressant. Too much and it will paralyze the muscles of inspiration and expiration. In short, the user stops “breathing”
Police say combating heroin use is more difficult than other drugs because the number of users is growing so rapidly!
It’s also complicated by a cycle of user–dealers who buy for their own use and sell the rest to support their own heroin addiction!
Who is becoming addicted to heroin? Typically young white males between 18 and 25 are most likely to become users and traffickers. However young white females are increasingly becoming users and traffickers.
Officials point to painkillers like Oxycontin, Oxycodone and Vicodin as gateway drugs to heroin! For minors these prescription painkillers are easier to obtain than alcohol or marijuana!
The Wisconsin State Council on Alcohol and other Drug abuse report for 2012 indicated that 25% of High School children admitted to using prescription pain killers to get “High”
Abusers of prescription pain killers make the switch when they learn heroin provides a cheaper, more intense “High” However, methadone clinics are reporting that new addicts are just going straight to using Heroin
Tighter controls on prescription opioids and the Drug Take Back program in part has had a cause and effect on the widening use of Heroin! Heroin dealers have stepped in to fill the void that is the result of getting prescription opioids off the street!
There is no longer the social stigma of Heroin being a back alley “junkie”. Popular culture is normalizing Heroin use. Movie stars and music heroes that are addicts have been celebrated in the media. Sending the false message of Heroin use.
In some cases dealers will provide the drug for free because they know how quickly a user will get hooked “addicted,” sometimes with deadly consequences.
New clusters of Hep C are associated with IV drug use! • The DPH is collaborating with local public health departments and other partners to investigate two clusters of Hepatitis C in rural areas of Wisconsin • 6 Counties in north central Wisconsin • Langlade • Lincoln • Marathon • Oneida • Portage • Wood • Manitowoc cluster in northeastern Wisconsin
North Central Wisconsin • Acute infections identified in medical facilities • Of 11 acute cases statewide in 2010, 7 were in the 6-county area, and 5 were in 1 county • All of the acute cases in these counties were under age 30 • Large number of HCV cases under age 30: • 25 cases in 2010 • 22 cases in 2009 • 8.4 cases on average from 2004-2008 • Cluster demographics • 25 cases of Hepatitis C; no reported HIV infection to date • 15 female; 10 male • 22 White, 2 non-White, 1 Unknown
The CDC did a DNA of these new Hep C clusters? None of the genotypes matched. Indicating that the disease is more widespread than the numbers indicate.
Heroin's lower cost coupled with Waushara County’s proximity to Highway 51/39 connects it to the major distribution centers of Madison, Milwaukee, Rockford Ill and Chicago.
In the last 6 months we have had 3 deaths in Waushara Countydue to heroin overdose. Additionally, Waushara Co. EMS reports that they have had 14 pediatric overdose transports since the 1st of the year!
Narcotics agents report “that it is the upper middle class kids for the most part that are becoming users.” “The financial resources are there!”
Communities are seeing increases in thefts, burglaries and robberies as heroin users steal everything from purses to power tools to support their addiction!
Heroin use is becoming and epidemic. It is affecting our community with crime; causing motor vehicle accidents; spreading disease; and devastating the families of addicts and destroying the living potential of our youth! Please join us in our effort to rid our communities of the heroin epidemic.
Questions? Glen A. Johnson, Director David Peterson, Sheriff Department of Human Services Sheriff’s Department PO Box 1230, Wautoma, WI 54982-1230 430 E. Division St., Wautoma, WI 54982 920/787-6600 920/787-3321
