Opium poppy
IN PHOTO: A policeman holds poppy plants after a field was destroyed above the village of Tar-Pu, in the mountains of Shan State January 27, 2012. Myanmar has dramatically escalated its poppy eradication efforts since September 2011, threatening the livelihoods of impoverished farmers who depend upon opium as a cash crop to buy food. With new ceasefires ending years of conflict between the government and ethnic insurgents, Myanmar police and United Nations officials are travelling through opium-rich Shan State to ask farmers what assistance they need. Reuters/Damir Sagolj

Concerns are up in the United States over the rising use of heroin. More people are turning to opioid painkillers and taking heroin for its cheap high. According to a study by a Federal agency, there has been a drastic surge in the number of heroin users to the tune of 63 percent, between 2002 and 2013. The report prepared by the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said use of heroin is noticed more among white Americans.

However, the report also pointed out that the use of heroin is pervasive among all income levels and age groups. "Heroin use is increasing rapidly across all demographic groups, and with that increase, we are seeing a dramatic rise in deaths," CDC chief Tom Frieden said. Already, police departments across the country are dealing with the pressures from the uptick in heroin overdoses, especially in the past few years. Many police officers are now carrying life-saving medications to prevent deaths of heroin victims.

One reason for the escalating use of heroin is the crack down on prescription drug abuse in recent years, which forced many addicts of pills to heroin because it is cheap and easily available. According to reports, the amount of heroin brought into the U.S. has increased exponentially and is driving down the cost of the street drugs.

Rising Deaths

The CDC reported that over 8,000 people died from heroin- overdose in 2013. It is twice the number of deaths compared to the past. Federal officials cited a number of factors for the spurt in heroin use. As heroin supply to the U.S increased, it also created more addicts than ever. From urban centres to rural spots, the ultra-lethal addictive drug is attracting more users. The report said more people are taking heroin and the number of deaths is also increasing, which is worrying the public officials, who are scrambling for solutions.

One solution to fight heroin addiction has been the free give away of needles as in Indiana, which sought to curb HIV and hepatitis C infections. Many states are now emulating that program. Besides clean needles, there are also programs like offering the addicts some cure through methadone, which is a heroin substitute. Naloxone is another fast antidote in treating drug overdoses. In many places, police and emergency responders are now carrying it including San Francisco. The drug is also being used in Baltimore for curing jail inmates.

Afghanistan grows 90 percent of the world’s opium, which gets refined into heroin. A United Nations drug agency has warned about the consequences of record opium poppy production in Afghanistan. The spike in heroin-related deaths is seen as a fall out of the dipping prices and its widening access because of the bumper production in Afghanistan.

(For feedback/comments, contact the writer at k.kumar@ibtimes.com.au)

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