HEROIN'S PRESENCE ALREADY BEING FELT IN S. FLORIDA

I felt compelled to respond to the article "Police are winning the
pill mill battle, but heroin may fill the void." This article
presented some interesting points that are often avoided.

The direct correlation between oxycodone and heroin is an epidemic.
The heroin scene has been strongly affecting other states, although
Florida residents have not yet had to face this issue because of the
overwhelming availability of pharmaceutical heroin - prescription
opiates - that are flooding the streets.

Palm Beach and Broward counties have been aware of this pill mill
epidemic, and are finally starting to make headway with enforcing new
laws. The people supporting these pill mills are addicts, and
crossing the threshold from prescription pills to heroin is going to
be a simple and mindless transition.

The comment by Broward County Sheriff's Capt. Eric Coleman - "in some
ways, we could potentially get worse before we get better" - shows
the continued lack of concern for prescription medicine and
heightening awareness of street drugs. Switching substances is not
going to create a worse situation; it needs to be about limiting the
availability. We would not be so scared about a heroin epidemic if
prescription drugs were not so easily accessible.

The situation is just going to escalate, given attitudes that
prescription drugs are less addictive than street drugs. Heroin is
already the issue. Just because we produce it in controlled labs and
place it in a bottle doesn't change the substance.

AIMEE JONES

Boynton Beach