Some states are reporting a rise in heroin use as many addicts shift from more costly and harder-to-get prescription opiates to this cheaper alternative, and evidence suggests that’s also the case in Oklahoma. A look at what’s happening around the state:
THE PROBLEM:
Oklahoma has long struggled with prescription drug and meth abuse. Of the estimated 844 drug-related deaths in Oklahoma in 2012 - the most recent year for which data is available - heroin didn’t show up in the top eight drugs found in the systems of the deceased after autopsies were conducted, according to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control. But agency spokesman Mark Woodward said anecdotal evidence suggests heroin is a drug that’s on the rise in Oklahoma due to cheaper prices.
“We’re hearing that heroin is going to be rising in popularity nationwide and certainly in Oklahoma,” Woodward said. “Reports from the streets and from police officers and users themselves tell us they’re seeing more heroin moved (in Oklahoma).”
THE NUMBERS:
A look at heroin-related deaths from 2007-2012, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The agency advises that heroin deaths in Oklahoma for these years may be undercounted and could also be misclassified as morphine deaths.
2007: less than 5
2008: 11
2009: 18
2010: 6
2011: 16
2012: 28, but the department notes that this figure is preliminary
RAMIFICATIONS:
The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services reports that users receiving treatment who have chosen heroin and/or opiates as their primary drug of choice numbered around 600 in 2004. Last year, the figure neared 1,950. The agency says the estimates only cover users who are indigent and receiving treatment in a state system somewhere in Oklahoma, and not users who choose a private facility to seek treatment for their heroin addiction.
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