LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TRACKS ADDED HEROIN USE

SOUTHBRIDGE- In what he says is a sad indicator of the rise in heroin use
here, Police Chief Daniel R. Charette found baby formula has become a
popular target for heroin users to shoplift. "It's expensive, and they can
sell it quickly to pay for a fix," he said. "Some stores have to keep it
behind counters."

But sadder still are the calls police are getting from residents - some of
them personal acquaintances - asking for help with heroin-addicted
relatives, he said.

"Other drugs don't tear families apart the way heroin does, and it's
affecting families across all sections of our town. People are losing their
jobs, their families, stealing from their relatives," he said.

In an August report, "Heroin in the Northeast - A Regional Drug Threat
Assessment," the National Drug Intelligence Center of the U.S. Department
of Justice noted heroin distribution and abuse are more of a problem in the
Northeast than in any other part of the country.

It predicted heroin abuse will continue to increase, particularly among
younger people in suburban and rural communities and among people who abuse
prescription drugs.

Heroin is readily available throughout Massachusetts, according to the
National Drug Intelligence Center, with primary distribution centers in
Boston, Fitchburg, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford,
Springfield and Worcester.

"This isn't unique to us. All the towns are seeing this," Chief Charette said.

He said police are compiling statistics on the impact of heroin abuse here,
but police see the effects daily.

One person a week, on average, overdoses on heroin in Southbridge,
according to Detective Sgt. Norman Brodeur. It is not unusual for police to
respond to multiple overdoses on a weekend, he said, yet the true number is
unknown because not all overdoses are reported to police.

He said at least three Southbridge residents have died of heroin overdoses
this year, including a 28-year-old woman who had recently taken a
combination of a prescription drug and heroin.

Chief Charette and Sgt. Brodeur said the increase in daytime break-ins of
cars by addicts desperate for money is directly attributable to the
increase in heroin use. But they believe the increases in other break-ins,
larceny and domestic violence also are costs of heroin abuse.

Police are convinced two men recently arrested for break-ins and heroin
possession were each responsible for dozens of thefts, although police
don't have evidence to support charges for all of the incidents.

Sgt. Brodeur said police have recovered more than $100,000 in stolen
merchandise this year. He believes virtually all break-ins are committed by
users of cocaine or heroin.

"They'll steal anything and everything. This is like a demon. It just takes
over people's lives," Chief Charette said about addiction.

The problem involves a growing number of daytime break-ins and thefts from
houses under construction, where thieves steal siding, generators and, in
one case, a hot tub.

Heroin use in the United States increased in the early 1990s, because of
low-cost, high-purity South American heroin which can be snorted or smoked.
That attracted new and younger abusers, "eliminating the risk and stigma
associated with injection," according to the National Drug Intelligence Center.

It's also plentiful.

Sgt. Brodeur said a bag of heroin that costs $30 in Southbridge will sell
for $8 to $20 in Worcester and for as low as $3 in New York City.

He said a bag contains "fractions of a gram, maybe one-tenth of a gram,"
leading to the need for addicts to buy one to 10 bags a day to get through
a day without withdrawal symptoms.

"It used to be a gutter drug," Sgt. Brodeur said. "Now it's a recreational
drug."

While new heroin users prefer inhaling it to injecting it, "prolonged use
can lead to injection," the drug center reports, adding snorting or smoking
the drug can lead to addiction.

Sgt. Brodeur said dealers are eager to sell heroin because it is highly
addictive, often after the first use.

"It's popular among dealers because it's a good business: People can't get
off it," he said.

"We see people going through withdrawal. It's awful. They shake. They
vomit. They cry. They say they don't want to be that way," said Sgt.
Brodeur, adding jail doesn't cure addiction.

Chief Charette and Sgt. Brodeur both attributed the increase in heroin
abuse to the ease of obtaining prescription drugs and the ease with which
some people can turn to heroin once their prescription expires.

Southbridge police began seeing increased heroin use about 18 months ago,
according to Chief Charette.

While intravenous drug use is not the only cause of hepatitis C, Chief
Charette said, he believes the big jump in Southbridge residents with
hepatitis C - from an average of 35 a year to 135 last year - is directly
related to the increase in heroin use.

"People have to take responsibility," Chief Charette said, referring to
charging those who have a hand in others dying from overdoses. "Even if it
means short jail time and getting into a good rehab program, they have to
be held accountable."

Because of the severity of heroin addiction, both Chief Charette and Sgt.
Brodeur said, lengthy and intense drug rehabilitation programs are needed.

Police are working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the
FBI to combat illegal drug activity. Two of the Police Department's five
detectives work full-time on drug investigations.

But police also are looking into such things as a state law that, with a
family's consent, would allow police to get a person into a drug
rehabilitation program.

"We're addressing it," Chief Charette said.

"It's a long road," Sgt. Brodeur said. "I don't know if there's an end."

According to the DEA, the market for heroin in the Northeast is so strong,
especially in Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey, traffickers now skip
New York and come straight to New England, The Associated Press reported
earlier this month.

According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, heroin abuse rates
"should peak and stabilize, but likely will remain at high levels."