Why is Heroin Taking an Increasing Number of Lives in Oklahoma?

National media have provided plenty of news coverage for the epidemic of heroin use in states like Ohio, Indiana, Massachusetts and Vermont, but the problems in Oklahoma have been largely overlooked. Locally, law enforcement personnel and the Oklahoma Department of Health note that the wreckage from this devastating drug is on the rise.

In early 2015, the Department of Health reported that heroin overdose deaths had increased ten-fold in just five years. In 2007, these deaths were almost non-existent, with fewer than five deaths. While the 27 deaths in 2013 were a far cry from the number lost in Ohio, there are several important factors to take into account if one is to understand the true extent of the threat:

• In 2015, Oklahoma was number one in prescription drug abuse.
  
• More than ten times as many Oklahomans lose their lives as a result of oxycodone or hydrocodone abuse compared to those dying of heroin overdoses.
  
• When a supply of pills dries up or money runs out, many addicted people find a supplier for heroin, which is considerably cheaper.
  
• Oklahoma is currently working on legislation to make it harder for the addicted to obtain multiple prescriptions to abuse or sell.
  
• If this legislation passes, many of these people addicted to pills will be looking for heroin. The Mexican cartels manufacturing this drug will not miss this opportunity.
  

Because of these factors, the horrifying probability is that heroin use in Oklahoma will continue to escalate and we will lose more of our friends, neighbors and even family members.

Heroin is Stronger and Cheaper than Ever Before

Heroin used to be expensive and heavily diluted by the time anyone in this country got their hands on it. That was just a couple of decades ago when most of the country’s heroin came from Afghanistan or Southeast Asia. Starting in 1995, South American heroin began to flood into the country on smuggling channels developed to get cocaine into our cities.

In 2006, as states were legalizing marijuana for medical use, Mexican drug cartels began to pull out marijuana plants so they could plant heroin poppies. Since their supply only has to cross one border, it can be cheaper than heroin coming from any other source. In 1981, the price of a gram of pure heroin was more than $3,000. In 2012, it was less than $500. By keeping their supplies pure, Mexican cartels can offer a product that is more desirable than their competitors’.

Oklahoma is Just a Stone’s Throw from the Border

To get heroin into our state, one only has to follow Interstate 35 up from Laredo on the Mexican border to get to Oklahoma City. It’s less than a ten hour drive. Since Oklahoma City serves as a major distribution center for points north and east, there’s plenty of heroin available for anyone addicted to this drug or painkillers.

Many people believe that it’s not possible to recover from heroin addiction but we have found otherwise. At Narconon, in eight to ten weeks for most people, it is possible to repair the damage that heroin does and develop strong sober living skills in a recovering person. When a person has recovered his integrity and found relief from guilt and trauma, it’s far more possible to maintain sobriety and that’s how the Narconon program works. Our graduates are not suffering from intense cravings from morning to night. They understand how to make drug-free decisions. They no longer refer to themselves as addicts and they can get on with their lives without reliance on any substitute medications.

To learn now the Narconon program can help someone you care about who’s struggling with addiction to heroin or painkillers, call Narconon Arrowhead today at 1-800-468-6933.

http://www.news9.com/story/28142969/heroin-deaths-in-oklahoma-increase-tenfold

http://www.newson6.com/story/28700440/new-law-aims-to-decrease-prescription-drug-abuse-in-oklahoma

http://samquinones.com/reporters-blog/2016/02/12/trump-heroin-and-mexico/?platform=hootsuite

http://www.businessinsider.com/us-heroin-coming-from-mexican-cartels

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/losing-marijuana-business-mexican-cartels-push-heroin-and-meth/2015/01/11/91fe44ce-8532-11e4-abcf-5a3d7b3b20b8_story.html