Will Heroin Follow Prescription Drugs into Oklahoma?

In June 2016, The Oklahoman reported that Oklahoma took the top spot in a list of states with a prescription painkiller abuse problem. In the long run, this problem could result in an influx of heroin into the state. Why is that true? We’ll take a look at how painkiller use ultimately leads many people to heroin.

According to a federal survey, nearly five percent of all Oklahomans aged 12 and older abused a painkiller last year. That means that they took it in a way or in a quantity not recommended by a physician. Or they took it solely for a desirable effect they felt it would have on them. For example, instead of taking one OxyContin pill, they took three because one wasn’t working for them any more. Or maybe they crushed and snorted a Lortab instead of just swallowing it.

Too many young people are misusing prescription drugs.

The age group most likely to abuse painkillers this way was young adults—those aged 18 to 25. Slightly more than five percent of 12 to 17-year-olds did the same thing.

So why might heroin follow prescription drugs into the state?

The Transition from Painkillers to Heroin

Across the United States, the first opioid most people use is a painkiller. Many people start taking these medications legitimately, perhaps after an injury or surgery. Their doctors may not have been adequately trained on how to prevent addiction—most doctors are not, according to an analysis from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

A big reason some people transition to heroin is because heroin is a fraction of the price of pills and it’s available without a doctor’s visit or prescription. Or the state may have cracked down on the practice of “doctor-shopping”—going to one doctor after another and getting a prescription from each. Oklahoma recently changed their laws so doctors must consult an online database of patients before they give out any prescriptions for drugs likely to be abused.

So if they can’t doctor-shop anymore, they find someone willing to sell them heroin. In the last few years, heroin distribution methods have become more sophisticated. It would not be necessary any longer to drive into a bad neighborhood in Oklahoma City, Tulsa or even Dallas. Heroin can probably be found in every small town in Oklahoma without much difficulty.

This chart offers a quick look at the relationship between these drugs. As deaths from natural and semisynthetic opioids level off and even drop slightly, heroin deaths surge upwards.

A chart showing the drug overdose deaths involving opioids.

Yes, there is heroin in Oklahoma but not to the degree of many other states. A detective in the Bartlesville Police Department voiced his certainty that this situation would change and more heroin would come in the state. The fact of already-established channels of drug trafficking from the U.S.-Mexico border through Oklahoma City and beyond supports this idea.

What is the Solution?

The solution starts in each household. Parents must learn about the drugs their children are hearing about and know how to explain the truthful and specific dangers to them. The Narconon Arrowhead website has extensive information available. You can start finding out what you need to know here.

Even more, parents need to stay closely engaged with their children, know who their friends are and how those friends are doing in life. This is not the right time to be naive. Oklahoma children have access to addictive and deadly drugs and parents need to stay closely involved in their lives so they are aware of any changes and can take action.

Also, any person using drugs who can’t stop on their own must get the help they need to stay sober. The drugs on the market are too hazardous. If you care for someone who can’t stop themselves from using drugs day after day, or they are damaging their health and their life by drinking too much, call Narconon Arrowhead today. We can work with you to bring that problem to an end, replaced by a much healthier life.

REFERENCE

http://oklahomawatch.org/2016/10/08/in-a-grip-of-addiction-with-barriers-to-treatment/

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/relationship-between-prescription-drug-heroin-abuse/prescription-opioid-use-risk-factor-heroin-use

http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2016/05/09/states-require-opioid-prescribers-to-check-for-doctor-shopping

http://www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-treatment/treatment

http://reference.medscape.com/drugs/synthetic-opioids

Chart: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6450a3.htm

AUTHOR
KH

Karen Hadley

For more than a decade, Karen has been researching and writing about drug trafficking, drug abuse, addiction and recovery. She has also studied and written about policy issues related to drug treatment.

NARCONON ARROWHEAD

DRUG EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION