Heroin conjures up images of junkies with needles in back alleys. It doesn't conjure up images of kids in northern Nevada school yards, but that's exactly where dealers are hooking a new generation of smack addicts. As former addict Pat Cashell told us, "Heroin's available everywhere. Here in town? Oh yes."
Numbers confirm heroin use is on the rise here. Heroin seizures made by the Reno Police SET Team last year were 4 times what they were in 2009, and 40 times what was seized in 2007:
Reno PD SET Team heroin seizures (in grams):
2007- 59.1
2008- 195
2009-681.6
2010- 2347.9
2011- 2429.36
Overdose deaths are up, and monthly numbers from the Crisis Call Center also show's heroin's popularity. In December of last year, heroin-related calls ranked third among deadly drugs:
2011 Crisis Call Center calls relating to:
Oct Nov Dec
Meth: 30 34 45
Prescription abuse: 38 34 41
Heroin: 11 9 22
And local substance abuse agencies are reporting more heroin-related counseling. Linda Land, director of the Nevada Statewide Coalition Partnership told us, "There are some really startling trends hitting northern Nevada in the last year or 2."
How is it that heroin is popular again, and the users are younger? Jennifer DeLett-Snyder of Join Together Northern Nevada says, "There's easy access to it. It's very cheap." Jennifer and Linda work on the front lines, dealing with addicts and parents looking for help. Linda remembers a young girl they just lost, despite her parents' best efforts. "Everything they tried, from the courts to treatment, didn't work for this young lady. And she overdosed. This was in Carson City."
It's a story Jennifer and Linda have heard time and time again. Prescription pill abuse in Nevada has skyrocketed. Those kids who are hooked on pills like Oxycontin find heroin gives the same high at a much cheaper cost. Jennifer told us, "Heroin for a bag is going to be $8 to $10. And for Oxycontin, a 60-milligram pill is going to be about $60."
Facts that former addict Pat Cashell says are targeting most every kid in town. His message to parents? "You better know what's out there, or else you're going to go through what I put my family through. And that's about as close to hell as you can get."
And there is help available for parents, as close as your phone and online. To join the parent support group at Join Together Northern Nevada, just click this link:
http://jtnn.org/committees/parentsupportgroup.html
Written by John Potter
