Heroin use on the upsurge

[MillCreek]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/07/07/heroin-use-spikes/29788031/

From my perspective in healthcare, one reason for the surge is heroin is easier to come by and less expensive than prescription pain meds, such as Percocet or OxyContin.

[zahc]

I heard the same thing from an Ohio police officer acquaintance. As always I wonder if more people are using or just a bad batch of drugs causing more overdoses.

[brimic]

Huge problem in the wealthier suburbs near me.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Its real bad here too. They have tightened up on pills so folks are back to smack. Different type of folks too.


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[roo_ster]

Also does not come with liver-destroying tylenol adulterants.

[Brad Johnson]

Also does not come with liver-destroying tylenol adulterants.

"Buy our heroin. It's gluten free, certified organic, and non-GMO!"

Brad

[vaskidmark]

What really irritates me is that smack users, at least in the beginning of their habit, have less trouble finding a usable vein to use to shoot up than I do in order to get a basic blood draw.

stay safe.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Lot of em smoke it nowadays too.


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[T.O.M.]

Its a huge problem in our part of the world.  Most of the kids we are putting in foster care have parents with severe opiate addictions, with most mixing street heroin with pharmaceutical opiate painkillers.  Far too many of the kids are born with opiates in their system.

It's not new, though.  Been going on for a few years.  In our area, opiates took the market from meth, which has fallen off due to the availability of opiates.  Makes me wonder, switch from an upper (meth) to a downer (opiates).  Something interesting about addiction there.  What I don't know..,

[Firethorn]

Something interesting about addiction there.  What I don't know..,

I always wonder how many drug addicts actually NEED to be on drugs - a proper psychiatric drug regime.  As in they take the drugs because ANY state of mind is better than their unaltered one.

[Andiron]

It's not new, though.  Been going on for a few years.  In our area, opiates took the market from meth, which has fallen off due to the availability of opiates.  Makes me wonder, switch from an upper (meth) to a downer (opiates).  Something interesting about addiction there.  What I don't know..,

Think there's any corollary to the fun new laws regulating decongestants? 

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

I always wonder how many drug addicts actually NEED to be on drugs - a proper psychiatric drug regime.  As in they take the drugs because ANY state of mind is better than their unaltered one.

Your wondering contain much wisdom
One if the hardest things is weaning em off the street drugs long enough for the docs to have a shot at figuring out what, if any, regimen of drugs can help them find a semblance of balance. We try to get em clean a year before we let docs start dosing em up but we do make exceptions


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[Ron]

From what I've read a lot of middle/upper class folks start on the pills and when it isn't easy or convenient to get the pills they transition to smack.

[MillCreek]

http://www.npr.org/2015/05/19/404184355/how-heroin-made-its-way-from-rural-mexico-to-small-town-america

Since reading this article, I have had the book on hold at my library.  I have just finished reading it and I commend it to anyone who wishes to get perspective on the current heroin and prescription opiate problem.

[never_retreat]

I thing the govt should just give that out to anyone willing to take it.
Shouldn't take long to thin the herds.

Big thing here in NJ is there allowing all the cops to carry narcan to combat the od's.
I had a conversation with someone I know that works in rehab (essentially). What there not going is holding someone for at least 48 hours after dosing with the narcan. People are getting cut loose, go out get more drugs, take said drugs, don't feel the effect (because of the narcan), go get and take more drugs, OD good and proper the second time.

[Boomhauer]

I thing the govt should just give that out to anyone willing to take it.
Shouldn't take long to thin the herds.

Big thing here in NJ is there allowing all the cops to carry narcan to combat the od's.
I had a conversation with someone I know that works in rehab (essentially). What there not going is holding someone for at least 48 hours after dosing with the narcan. People are getting cut loose, go out get more drugs, take said drugs, don't feel the effect (because of the narcan), go get and take more drugs, OD good and proper the second time.

We call that a self solving problem

[Firethorn]

We call that a self solving problem

I hate to say it*, but I agree with you. 

*Because I don't wish death on people unless they actually DO something to seriously harm others.

[lupinus]

Darwin at work


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[T.O.M.]

Think there's any corollary to the fun new laws regulating decongestants? 

I think that prices of bathtub meth went up because it became harder to obtain the precursor chemicals, especially the pseudoephedrine.  I live in an area where agriculture is pretty big, and the preferred method for making meth involved anhydrous ammonia, which was available on most farms.  Theft of anhydrous was common, and fairly easy (if you were willing to over look the risks from improper handling/storing the anhydrous, which is a seriously dangerous chemical).  Farmers started locking up their anhydrous tanks and reporting the thefts.  You have to show ID to buy pseudoephedrine.  Bottom line, it's now almost harder to get the raw materials for a meth cook than it is to smuggle heroin, or to steal pills.

[T.O.M.]

I always wonder how many drug addicts actually NEED to be on drugs - a proper psychiatric drug regime.  As in they take the drugs because ANY state of mind is better than their unaltered one.

Oh, I think that this is true in many cases.  People in need to psychiatric services, especially for depression, and who either can't get the services, or won't go to the services, or just don't recognize what the issues are.  When I was younger and dumber, I didn't appreciate the impact of real clinical depression on a person.  Watching it happen to a friend who used alcohol to self-medicate, who only sought help when he found himself looking down the barrel of his Glock one night, opened my eyes.  Anti-depressants saved his life.

[MillCreek]

I think that prices of bathtub meth went up because it became harder to obtain the precursor chemicals, especially the pseudoephedrine.  I live in an area where agriculture is pretty big, and the preferred method for making meth involved anhydrous ammonia, which was available on most farms.  Theft of anhydrous was common, and fairly easy (if you were willing to over look the risks from improper handling/storing the anhydrous, which is a seriously dangerous chemical).  Farmers started locking up their anhydrous tanks and reporting the thefts.  You have to show ID to buy pseudoephedrine.  Bottom line, it's now almost harder to get the raw materials for a meth cook than it is to smuggle heroin, or to steal pills.

I don't know if this is generally true elsewhere, but a friend of mine at the local prosecutor's office says that in this area (Western Washington), relatively little meth is being manufactured locally any more.  It is being produced in industrial quantities in Mexico and smuggled into the States.  I also know from my friends in local Fire/EMS/Hazmat that they don't have near the numbers of local lab explosions or cleanup that existed only a few years ago.  It has dropped way, way, down consistent with the number of labs falling.

[Boomhauer]

Our local meth labs are still going strong.

The wife of my FFL dealer is a pharmacist. She says the local tweakers all line up with crisp new twenty dollar bills to buy the maximum amount of psuedo like clockwork.







 

[Firethorn]

It has dropped way, way, down consistent with the number of labs falling.

Or, as has been mentioned, they've gone 'professional' and aren't exploding as much.  They also developed mix recipes that can be done in the back of a car while driving.

I dislike it, but I think I'd rather they be doing heroin than bathtub meth.  Less dangerous for us.

[T.O.M.]

Or, as has been mentioned, they've gone 'professional' and aren't exploding as much.  They also developed mix recipes that can be done in the back of a car while driving.

I dislike it, but I think I'd rather they be doing heroin than bathtub meth.  Less dangerous for us.

There's a trend around here of meth cooks in cars, but the guys are starting the cook in stolen care and then parking the car someplace...park, neighborhood, etc.  They know how long it will take, they come back and collect the product, leaving behind the crap and the car.  Nice of them to leave all that nice chemical mix for someone to find...

[230RN]

Our local meth labs are still going strong.

The wife of my FFL dealer is a pharmacist. She says the local tweakers all line up with crisp new twenty dollar bills to buy the maximum amount of psuedo like clockwork.

Is tincture of iodine used in that process?  I think I recall that the FDA banned it a couple of years ago for that reason.