HEROIN'S PERILOUS RETURN

In recent months, the obituary page and police news columns of the
Deseret Morning News have documented tragic tales of teens and drug
abuse. Since March 11, five teens or young adults are believed to have
died of suspected drug overdoses. At least two of the dead were honor
students.

The deaths, some of which remain under investigation, point to a
troubling trend. Heroin is making a comeback in Utah. This comes while
police already struggle to deal with the scourge of methamphetamine
and rampant prescription drug abuse.

The re-emergence of heroin is a particularly disturbing phenomenon
because sellers are exploiting such a young market. Heroin is a highly
addictive drug, the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the
opiates, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Police say drug runners from Mexico are transporting heroin to Utah.
Their intended customers are young, middle-to upper-class teens.

Not only are sellers peddling drugs to teens in their own locales,
police in suburban Salt Lake County have observed a number of young
people traveling from Utah County to purchase heroin. Utah County's
problem with heroin addiction among teens is not a new phenomenon,
however. The Deseret Morning News ran a special report two years ago
on how heroin was affecting the quiet town of Springville.

Addiction to painkillers such as OxyContin has apparently fueled
heroin use. OxyContin sells for about $40 a pill on the street. Young
people who abuse the powerful pain killer seek less expensive
alternatives such as heroin.

The state medical examiner's anecdotal estimates suggests heroin
overdoses have not risen to the same level of concern as fatal
OxyContin overdoses. Still, the use of any illegal substance by
teenagers is cause for worry and action. Parents must educate
themselves about the signs of drug use. They should also carefully
consider how much spending money they give their children, because
heroin and OxyContin habits tend to be expensive.

Parents need to watch for changes in behavior, appearance, school
performance or friends. Heroin users appear sleepy when they are high
but jittery when coming down. Parents also should be on the lookout
for drug paraphernalia and keep careful track of their own
prescription medications. Health issues can be another tip-off. Bowel
problems, severe cramping or loss of appetite may indicate drug abuse.

Most of all, parents need to embrace the notion that drug abuse is not
exclusively a problem of homeless junkies. It is an issue close to
home that is killing young men and women in the prime of their lives.