ON GUARD NOW AGAINST HEROIN USE

The death of a Buffalo Grove High School student from a presumed heroin
overdose is shocking - shocking for the loss of a promising young man and
shocking for the presence of a drug to which suburban police and parents
have given little thought.

Everyone knows that far too many suburban teens drink and that some use
marijuana and, more recently, Ecstasy and other drugs popular on the club
scene.

Those known factors are sufficiently disturbing. But heroin? Any serious
heroin influx would take concerns about the region's drug problems to a new
level. Fortunately, there is no indication that this highly addictive and
dangerous drug is gaining a broad foothold in the suburbs. Suburban police
say they rarely see it at all, and educators seem to agree. Some suburban
teens say any drug is available for a price, but even they don't seem to be
aware of any real surge in heroin use among their peers.

There is, in short, no need to panic about heroin use among high school
students. But this one tragic death should prompt police, parents and
educators to keep their eyes open and to make sure they continue to impress
on teens the hazards and high stakes of drug use.