DAYTON, COLUMBUS RANK HIGH FOR HEROIN USERS

Addicts Of Prescription Drugs Are Increasingly Turning To Heroin,
Which Is Easier To Obtain In Most Cities

DAYTON -- Drug users rank Dayton and Columbus as the two Ohio cities
where heroin in most available, according to a study done for the
state's monitoring network. ToolsPrint this pageE-mail this pageMost
popularTop 5 stories Judge: Camera that catches speeders is
unconstitutional WSU to get new president in '07 Police: Woman
overpowers paramedics, then steals ambulance Wreck rolls truck,
spilling grain along U.S. 42 Lighter may have set off Thursday
blast RSS headlines available

"Dayton historically has been known as a very strong source of
heroin," said Robert G. Carlson, director of Wright State
University's Center for Interventions, Treatment and Addictions Research.

Carlson's group oversaw the study, which used focus groups and
interviews of drug users, substance abuse treatment providers and
crime lab officials around the state, for the Ohio Substance Abuse
Monitoring Network. Drug users were asked to rank the availability of
heroin on a scale of 1 to 10.

The data, which is from last fall, shows that Dayton and Columbus
drug users ranked the availability as 9.5. Dayton was considerably
higher than Akron or Toledo, but Carlson said he wasn't surprised.

"We've continued to see that trend over time," he said.

He said he didn't know why Dayton ranked so much higher than other
middle-sized cities.

Part of the growing problem, he said, is the increasing abuse of
heroin statewide, and in Dayton, among white suburban youth, which
OSAM has tracked since at least January 2000.

In 1999, just under half of all heroin overdose treatments at
hospitals were white patients. By 2003, nearly 70 percent were,
according to a 2004 OSAM study.

Part of that trend is due to people who become addicted to
prescription analgesics, such as Vicodin, Carlson said. They suffer
withdrawal, but the drug is hard to get, so they turn to heroin, he said.

In the meantime, heroin has become easier to obtain, which is shown
by the drop in street values. The price of heroin in the Dayton area
has dropped, from $200 per gram in 2000 to $150 in 2004, another OSAM
study showed.

"We see the same thing with cocaine of course," Carlson said. "The
market is being flooded with cocaine and heroin as well."

[Sidebar]

Some facts on heroin: its effects, symptoms

| Q What is heroin?

A Heroin is a highly addictive derivative of morphine, extracted from
the seedpods of certain poppy plants. Known among users as "smack,"
"junk," "H," and a host of other slang terms, heroin is produced in
the form of a white or brown powder, or a black tar-like substance.

Street heroin is often spliced with other substances such as sugar,
starch, powdered milk, and in some cases, toxic poisons such as
strychnine. Although heroin is most commonly introduced into the
blood stream through injection, it can also be sniffed or smoked.

Q What are the effects of heroin?

A Heroin triggers a euphoric rush accompanied by a warm flush of the
skin, dry mouth, and weighted extremities. The initial effects are
followed by a period of drowsiness, slowed breathing, and impeded
brain function. Long-term effects of heroin use include collapsed
veins, abscesses, liver disease, pneumonia, brain damage, and death.

Heroin addicts experience withdrawal symptoms within hours of the
previous dosage of heroin that continue for about a week. Withdrawal
symptoms include insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes, and
uncontrollable movement. In addicts with ill health, withdrawal can
result in death.

Sources: National Institute on Drug Abuse, Wikipedia, Cornell Law
School, www.heroinaddiction.com/heroin-timeline.html