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Because heroin is cheap and very pure, it is creating a growing addiction crisis across America. Heroin, much of which is from Colombia, is replacing crack cocaine as the drug of choice, particularly among young users. In Massachusetts, for example, more than 4 percent of high school boys report having used heroin.
The heroin addiction crisis is different than the one that infected many urban communities in the 1970’s. Today, most heroin is pure enough to snort and younger people are beginning to use it this way. In the Boston area, the number of 18 and 19 year olds seeking emergency-room treatment related to heroin use doubled between 2000 and 2002.
A New Generation of Users: In the 1970’s, the average heroin user was 28 to 30 years old and an urban dweller. Today, the average addict is a white, middle-class teenager.
Fighting Back: Last year, the state of Massachusetts saw some 36,000 admissions into heroin treatment programs. In Boston, things have gotten so bad that a group of everyday people decided to take matters into their own hands by forming the South Boston Family Resource Center.
From Patient to Addict: Today, numerous addicts trace their problem back to work-related injuries. They got hooked on painkillers they received from their doctors, and turned to heroin when they couldn't get those prescriptions renewed.
Life with Methadone: North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann profiles two friends in northern New York who drive long distances to receive methadone treatment. Because methadone clinics are rare, especially in rural areas, many recovering heroin addicts are forced to commute hours each day just to get their medicine.
Treatment Options: Unlike the traditional approach of painful detox, the most common regimen uses prescription drugs and can be obtained in participating doctors' offices. Health officials are hoping the therapy will be particularly useful for young users, before their addiction causes bigger problems.
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