Heroin

As prescription painkillers become more difficult to obtain and abuse, a growing number of people addicted to these drugs are switching to heroin, USA Today reports. The trend is increasingly being seen in the suburbs.

An increasing number of teens and adults in southern California are using heroin, according to Drug Enforcement Administration officials.

Heroin use is on the rise in Missouri, according to a new report to be released Tuesday. Many people using heroin have switched from more expensive opioid pills, according to The Kansas City Star.

A California state senator has proposed legislation that would allow misdemeanor charges to be filed in cases of simple possession of heroin and cocaine, instead of felony charges.

A growing number of people are becoming addicted to heroin in New York state, according to drug treatment counselors and police. They say many people have switched to heroin from prescription painkillers, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone.

Heroin use is growing in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, while abuse of opiate painkillers, such as methadone and oxycodone, may be decreasing, according to a new report.

Communities across the country are beginning to organize town hall meetings, support groups and campaigns to discourage the growing use of heroin, The Christian Science Monitor reports.

A greater percentage of homeless adults die from drug overdoses than from AIDS, according to a new study. Drug overdoses accounted for nearly 17 percent of all deaths among homeless patients studied, and 81 percent of the overdoses involved opioid painkillers and heroin.

As opioids become more difficult and expensive to abuse, heroin use is on the rise in Florida, according to law enforcement officials.

The opioid-overdose antidote naloxone can save lives and money when distributed to heroin users, a new study finds.

The number of people in Maryland who have switched from abusing prescription drugs to heroin is on the rise, resulting in an increase in heroin-related deaths, according to The Baltimore Sun.

A scientist at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is developing a vaccine designed to treat heroin addiction while at the same time prevent HIV infection.

As Kentucky begins to see results from its crackdown on prescription drug abuse, officials report a rise in heroin use.

Vermont officials report an increase in heroin use, as OxyContin abuse decreases, according to the Associated Press.

A report by a nonprofit group concludes communities across Massachusetts are struggling with an epidemic of substance abuse. The report notes the Boston area has had a particularly high number of emergency department visits involving illicit drugs.

Painkiller abuse is the biggest emerging substance abuse threat in Iowa, according to a report by the state’s Office of Drug Control Policy.

Minnesota unveiled a statewide plan this week to tackle drug abuse, in response to the rising abuse of prescription opioids, and the increasing purity of heroin on the streets.

Police in Louisville, Kentucky say they are seeing a rise in the use of heroin, as prescription painkillers become more difficult to obtain. People who formerly were addicted to painkillers are now turning to heroin, which is cheaper, easier to get, and very potent.

Addiction to heroin and morphine can be blocked, suggests a new study conducted in rodents. The study revealed a key mechanism in the immune system that amplifies addiction to opioids.

New Mexico is facing a widespread drug problem that includes prescription drug abuse, as well as heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine, according to the Associated Press.

A researcher at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research has been awarded a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to develop a vaccine that would treat heroin addiction and protect against HIV.

A new study finds that OxyContin abuse has decreased now that the painkiller has been reformulated to make it more difficult to misuse. Many people who abused the drug have switched to heroin, the researchers report in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine.

The rise in popularity of the painkiller Opana illustrates the challenges facing law enforcement authorities, addiction specialists and pharmaceutical companies trying to tackle prescription drug abuse, USA Today reports.

Pregnant women who are being treated for heroin dependence with methadone can be persuaded to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke through monetary incentives, a new study suggests.

The increase in prescription drug abuse is fueling a rise in heroin addiction, NBC News reports. A growing number of young people who start abusing expensive prescription drugs are switching to heroin, which is cheaper and easier to buy.