COLLIN HEROIN DEATHS HAVE NOT STOPPED

Heroin use by young people in Collin County appears less prevalent
than it was a year ago, experts say, but the deaths have not stopped.

Two people, both 21, died from heroin overdoses in Collin County in
the second half of 2006, according to county officials and police. A
third case believed to be heroin-related has not been confirmed.
Collin County Medical Examiner William Rohr said he is waiting for
toxicology results to determine what killed that Plano 19-year-old.

During a 14-month period ending in May 2006 - when The Dallas Morning
News published a series of articles looking at the resurgence of the
drug - three Plano teens and one in Frisco died from heroin
overdoses. A fifth person died from methadone, a drug used to treat
heroin addiction.

Before that, there had not been a school-age heroin overdose reported
by the Collin County medical examiner in five years.

To spread the word, substance-abuse counselors, police and school
officials hosted informational seminars for parents, teachers and
anyone working with youngsters.

"It's died down. The more we publicize it, the more awareness is out
there," said Plano police spokesman Rick McDonald.

Last year's reappearance of heroin rekindled old concerns. Just over
10 years ago, Plano began seeing a string of young people dying from
heroin use.

At least 20 young people died, and the cases received national media
attention. Eventually 72 people involved in distributing the drug
went to federal prison, and 350 were convicted of state drug charges.

Gayle Jensen-Savoie, co-founder of the Collin County Substance Abuse
Coalition, agreed that this year hasn't been as worrisome as the last.

"We are not seeing a lot of heroin currently. There might be one or
two cases, but it's not a trend," Ms. Savoie said.

"It all goes in a cyclical fashion. Six months ago we were seeing
some heroin cases. Now we are seeing a ton of prescription
medication" abuse, she said.

The challenge remains tracking nonfatal overdoses, Ms. Savoie said.

Even though the recent increase in heroin deaths never reached the
proportions of the 1990s, it was a reminder of that dark period.

Plano police believe that the existence of an overdose investigator
has made a difference. That investigator tracks every overdose,
whether or not it results in death, allowing police to keep up with
trends and adjust enforcement accordingly.

"We used to hear about heroin cases every day," Officer McDonald said.

"Now there's a lot of enforcement. It just seems like it's getting
harder for people to get a hold of it."