Yet, they are the survivors of the new heroin: a cheaper, purer drug that can be smoked or snorted, which is claiming a new section of America. They were casually introduced to it by friends or at all-night rave parties. It eventually destroys lives, said Kathryn Logan, a 17-year-old high school student from San Juan Capastrano, Calif., who testified today before the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.
"When I snorted heroin for the first time, I didn't know it was heroin. Yet, I realized I liked it and I continued to use it, even in school," said the former junior varsity tennis player. "Sometimes the drugs would make me so sick that I'd throw up mid-game right on the tennis court."
To respond to the problem, Sen. Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, said he is going to introduce The Drug Prevention, Treatment and Research Act. The legislation strengthens existing anti-drug efforts locally by providing additional resources and encouragement to anti-drug coalitions and parent groups. It adds stability to the budget of the National Guard Counter Drug Directorate. It also strengthens research efforts concerning how to better treat individuals trapped by drugs and it provides support for critical intervention in long-term treatment for juvenile users.
As with most heroin addicts, Logan developed a ferocious appetite for the drug and began stealing for drug money creating a "nightmare for her family," she said. She was soon living on the streets until she was arrested for drug possession. The judge gave her the option to enter into treatment.
"These stories are becoming all too familiar across America. They shatter the stereotype that heroin is just an inner-city drug," said Grassley said. "These are white-collar professionals and kids who think they are safe by snorting or smoking heroin instead of injecting it. That assumption is dead wrong. Treatment professionals say there are a growing number of kids showing up to suburban treatment centers addicted or dead in suburban hospitals from overdoses."
Grassley offered several reasons as to why more kids are becoming addicted:
?There is knowledge gap. Most inner city families know all too well the devastation of heroin addiction because they have seen it up close. Few suburban families share such memories. Their children may have heard little or nothing about the dangers of heroin addiction.
?Today's heroin is cheaper and more potent. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, the price of heroin has steadily declined since 1980, yet it is more potent. Then, it cost $3.90 per milligram and was 3.6 percent pure heroin. Twenty years later it costs 96 cents per milligram. Yet, the purity of the drug has increased by more than 10 times.
?Heroin is easier to obtain. The National Center on Addition and Substance Abuse estimates that 32.4 percent of people from small metro areas over the age of 12 have easy access to heroin.
?It is easier to ingest. The new heroin can be sniffed or smoked so there is no risk of contracting HIV from a shared needle. For many new users who mistakenly believe if they snort it or smoke it they will not become addicted, this is a strong selling point.
Government enforcement officials say they fear that heroin will continue to spread across suburban communities and rural areas if immediate action is not taken. Grassley said there needs to be an effort to revitalize community and parent involvement, increase resources for funding for addiction research and start new initiatives to support juvenile residential treatment programs that work.
Logan is now in treatment at Phoenix House, a program with centers spread across the U.S. She is getting her life back on track. "Drugs are the road I tool to denial, destruction and self-abuse," she said. "I used the numbing of drugs to deal with pain and life's problems. The only advice I'd give to other people is to seek help. It's the first step to recovery and a healthy life."