Lee County, Florida, Microcosm of Heroin Epidemic

Lee County, Florida, Microcosm of Heroin Epidemic

October 14th, 2014 Drug Addictions, Helpful Articles

Heroin, the one-time inner city drug, is rearing its ugly head around the country in nearly every city, suburb and rural village. Lee County in southwestern Florida is a prime example of this disturbing trend. Statistics show a sharp rise in heroin use there and law enforcement officials are making a record number of heroin busts. The trend comes after a big uptick in the abuse of prescription painkillers and the subsequent crackdown on pill mills.

 

Heroin in Lee County

Statistics on heroin use show that it is on the rise everywhere. In just five years, from 2007 to 2012, the number of heroin abusers in the U.S. nearly doubled. In a similar time period, the number of heroin overdose deaths increased by 45 percent. And the problem is no longer solely an urban one. Rural and suburban communities, like those in Lee County, are seeing major increases in heroin use.

One of the ways officials document the increase in heroin use is through arrests. In late 2013, the Lee County Sheriff’s Department arrested 20 individuals during one drug bust. More were sought after the incident. Several drugs were being sold through the multi-home operation, but much of it was heroin and most of the arrests were for heroin possession. In May 2014, four people were arrested after a monthlong investigation that found heroin being sold from a house within 1,000 feet of a school in Fort Myers. A month later, a young man and woman were arrested for working together to traffic heroin in Cape Coral.

By June of 2014, the Cape Coral Police Department had made 20 arrests in six months. The tally set a record for the department. In 2012, the Fort Myers Police Department collected 50 grams of heroin in arrests. Halfway through 2014, the department had seized over 600 grams.

Why Heroin and Why Now?

People are turning to heroin in record numbers these days due to an addiction to prescription painkillers. Narcotic painkillers are opioids and so is heroin. As addiction to these painkillers grew to epic proportions over the last decade, measures were taken to make pills more difficult to access. Illegal pill mills were shut down, doctors stopped prescribing so many painkillers, and the prices on pain pills went up. Without access or the money to buy the pills, addicts had to turn to their cheaper cousin: heroin.

Mexican drug cartels recognized the increased demand for heroin and started flooding every corner of the U.S. with affordable drugs. The heroin coming out of Mexico is often very potent, which makes it particularly dangerous for new users. It is easy to overdose, even for experienced pill poppers. Even more troubling is that heroin users are getting younger and younger.

Lee County is just one area of the country with a huge heroin problem. Everyone should be
aware that heroin has long since moved out of the inner cities and that it is available nearly
everywhere. It is especially important that parents of teens learn about this issue and talk to their children. As the problem gets bigger, more and more young people are at risk for heroin addiction and overdose.

Contact Elements Behavioral Health

Call 855-678-8337 for a confidential assessment or fill out the form below and we will call you.