HEROIN ODS ON DECLINE IN 2 CITIES

While heroin is still available on the streets of Lynn and Chelsea,
law enforcement officials are reporting a decline in overdoses and
deaths in those two cities in recent years.

In Lynn, reports of nonfatal heroin overdoses have dropped annually,
from 107 in 2003 to 63 in 2006. Also, fatal overdoses declined from
15 in 2003 to five last year, according to Lynn police.

In Chelsea, nonfatal heroin overdoses dropped from 10 in 2005 to four
last year. Fatal overdoses declined from two in 2005 to zero last
year, police said.

The numbers do not include people who were treated for overdoses at
area hospitals. By state law, hospitals are not required to disclose
that information.

North of Boston, Lynn and Chelsea are among the few communities that
track heroin overdoses. On the state level, the Department of Public
Health tracks opiate-related overdoses. According to the state,
reports of fatal overdoses have increased steadily in Essex County in
recent years -- from 41 in 2000 to 74 in 2003, the latest year
statistics are available.

Opiates are derived from opium and include drugs such as morphine,
codeine, and heroin.

Chelsea Police Lieutenant Thomas Dunn attributed the drop to the
content of street-level heroin, which he estimated as 80 percent
pure. "The reduction could mean that the supply was normal, that it
retained a regular street ratio of heroin that was consistent. When
we have a rash of overdoses, it's usually too pure," said Dunn.

Lynn Police Sergeant Richard Carrow could not pinpoint a reason for
the decline. "It's an imperfect science," said Carrow, who supervises
the department's Special Investigations Unit, which conducts
street-level narcotics investigations. "It could be that there's
better awareness," he said.

John Arahovites, a Haverhill police sergeant, said overdoses usually
are related to the quality of heroin sold in the city. He said most
of Haverhill's supply comes from Lawrence and is distributed in bags
stamped with symbols that indicate its source. "We can go a year with
no overdoses, and then bang, we can have three or four in a month. It
really depends on what kind of heroin that's coming into the city," he said.

Gloucester does not track overdoses, but Detective Sean Connors said
police are investigating three suspected fatal overdoses in the last
month. In Gloucester, fatal overdoses increased from three in 2002 to
seven in 2004, according to the state Department of Health.

In Lynn, education has been the focus of the Stop Heroin Overdose
Committee for several years. The task force includes law enforcement
authorities, health advocates, and the North Shore Medical Center.
The program has presented awareness classes at the Middleton House of
Correction to provide warnings to inmates; sponsored outreach to
intravenous drug users about overdose dangers; and created pamphlets
to give to patients who leave hospital emergency rooms in Salem and Lynn.

At CAB Health & Recovery Services in Lynn, HIV program manager Gary
Langis said his organization has stepped up its efforts at preventing
overdoses. Langis said CAB leads overdose prevention programs at
detox centers and sober houses and also sends outreach workers onto
the street to counsel people about prevention and what to do in case
of an overdose.

"I think some people are getting more knowledgeable about
overdosing," said Langis. "We teach people how to recognize an
overdose and to call 911," said Langis, who also tells users never to
take heroin alone.

State Senator Thomas M. McGee of Lynn believes a key component to
prevention is collecting overdose data from hospitals. In 2005, he
cosponsored a bill that would have required hospitals to disclose
information. This year, he's cosponsored two similar bills that have
yet to come up for votes.

"It's important for both public health and for public safety that we
know what's going on," said McGee.

"This legislation is very important," said Essex District Attorney
Jonathan W. Blodgett. "With real-time, comprehensive reporting, we'll
be able to identify areas where high numbers of overdoses are
occurring. That will allow law enforcement to target those areas and
sweep drug dealers off the streets.

"It's important to note that we don't want the names of people being
treated," he said. "Their anonymity will be protected. We just need
this data in a timely manner, because it's essential in combating this scourge."