The Death of Michael Hutts:

CHEAP HEROIN HOOKS A WIDER POPULATION

The cause of Georgia Tech baseball player Michael Hutts' death hasn't
been determined, but the mention of heroin in the police report on his
death was a reminder that abuse of the addictive drug is on the rise.

According to the Georgia Drug Rehab Alliance, local law enforcement
agencies around Atlanta are reporting increasing problems in their
jurisdictions.

Ryan Tinkoff, Hutts' roommate, told police that an acquaintance of
Hutts who was known to use heroin -- "possibly with Mr. Hutts," the
report said -- arrived at their apartment about 11 the night before
the Tech pitcher was found dead.

There are simple explanations for heroin's re-emergence. In Atlanta
and elsewhere, heroin today -- which largely comes from Mexico and
South America rather than Southwest Asia as in years past -- is
cheaper and stronger than ever before.

Because of lower prices -- as inexpensive as $7 a hit, according to
some reports -- new users are more apt to snort rather than inject the
drug. "Cheese," a snortable powder made from cutting sticky Mexican
black tar heroin with an over-the-counter analgesic, has been linked
to deaths among young people.

The National Drug Intelligence Center estimates that heroin demand is
still driven mostly by 800,000 hardcore addicts. But it also warns of
increasing demand as people who become addicted to prescription
narcotics, such as OxyContin, may turn to heroin, which can be cheaper
and more available.

A widely quoted 2007 study that was funded by the National Institute
on Drug Abuse and conducted by the University of Michigan showed
heroin use was trending up slightly among eighth-, 10th- and
12th-graders, even as overall drug use had fallen.

Among 12th-graders, 1 percent reported using heroin without a needle,
up from 0.6 percent in 2006. OxyContin use was reported by 5.2 percent
of 12th-graders.