HEROIN-RELATED DEATHS RISE IN SEATTLE

SEATTLE (AP) -- The number of heroin deaths in the Seattle area reached a
record last year, frustrating city officials trying to shed the city's
image as a center for heroin abuse.

``Last year, we thought we might be getting a handle on this,'' said Dr.
Henry Ziegler, head of the prevention division for the Seattle-King County
Department of Public Health. ``We aren't getting a handle on it. This has
been going up dramatically as a cause of death.''

Seattle's image as a magnet for heroin problems was magnified by the 1994
suicide of Kurt Cobain, the lead singer for the group Nirvana who had
struggled with heroin addiction before he shot himself. Since then, the
problem has only gotten worse.

Last year, 138 people died from heroin, surpassing the record of 134 in
1996 and much higher than the 111 deaths in 1997, county health officials
reported this week. Heroin deaths were roughly at triple the levels of the
mid-1980s, the report said.

But Seattle is not alone. A federal study in 1997 identified Seattle,
Baltimore, Newark, N.J., and San Francisco as the top cities in the nation
for per capita heroin-related problems, based on emergency room admissions.

And last July, a double-suicide in Portland, Ore., by two addicts who
hanged themselves from a bridge above the Willamette River focused
attention on that city and state's growing heroin problem. In 1997, there
were 161 heroin-related deaths in Oregon, more than any other drug.

In a study released last year by the Office of National Drug Control
Policy, nearly 14 percent of the men arrested in Portland and 27 percent of
the women tested positive for heroin or related opiates. The rate among
women was the highest of all 23 major U.S. cities studied.

Why Seattle has such a severe heroin-abuse problem is a matter of debate.

Ziegler said one possible reason for the increased deaths might be the
availability of purer forms of heroin that can be smoked. ``A lot of kids
think, `I'm not shooting it so I'll be OK,''' he said. ``That's one of
those suicidal misconceptions.''

Another explanation might be inadequate access to treatment. A study a few
years ago found that the county had at least 20,000 opiate addicts with
only 1,750 treatment slots available.

State law limits each clinic to 350 patients -- a restriction the
Legislature in Olympia is considering changing. The Senate is holding a
hearing Friday on a bill that would lift the cap and allow for the training
of family physicians to treat addicts in their offices.