HEROIN DEATHS TOPIC AT MEETING TODAY

A scourge of fatal heroin overdoses is prompting public discussion. A
substance abuse task force will meet today to talk about gaps in
services for addicts and to discuss recent heroin overdoses that
killed five men. The New Hanover County Substance Abuse Task Force
has been studying the issue of services in the community for about a
year. Starting at 11:30 a.m. today, officials will learn about a gap
in services to single women, especially those with children, as well
as homeless people with mental health disorders, said John Ranalli,
the group's interim facilitator.

"We don't have longer-term residential options for those populations
that keep people closer connected to their homes," he said.
Additionally, the group will discuss the deaths of five men from
heroin overdoses since December as law enforcement focuses its
efforts on finding the source of the fatal heroin, some of which is
labeled "Hell Razor." That type of heroin is believed to be behind
two or three fatal overdoses. The Wilmington Police Department also
wants to know about other overdoses that might not have been fatal,
but still might help police track the source of potentially lethal heroin.

Kenny House, vice president of clinical services for Coastal Horizons
Center, said an analysis of the heroin used in the fatal overdoses is
crucial to finding out what's driving the deaths.

He said several factors could be causing the overdoses: either the
heroin is too pure, "in which case inexperienced users would be
subject to overdose because they are expecting something at another
strength," or the heroin is mixed with a lethal substance.

He worries though, that if users find out what type of heroin is
causing the overdoses, they might be tempted to try it instead of
avoid it. "When you hear there's quote, unquote 'good stuff,' it
might produce a reaction of people who want to experience the really
strong stuff," said House, a member of the task force.

Keith Thompson, whose daughter Blaire died Dec. 23, 2004, from a
heroin overdose, said long-term care facilities are needed in the
community. Thompson, who is the state director of DAMMAD (Dads and
Mad Moms Against Drug Dealers) and national vice president of
Americans for Drug-Free Youth, is active in drug education.

"If somebody has a drug problem, they need to be somewhere for a
minimum of a year," he said. "You've got to do something about
providing accessible and affordable care for these people."

It's an issue the task force will talk about today. "People are
dying, and it's apparently heroin-related," House said. "Beyond that,
there are questions that need to be answered."