Drug addiction in Ohio has shown little regression in Ohio. According to the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services’ (ODADAS) Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network (OSAM) report for January 1 – June 30, 2011, dangerous narcotics are widely and easily available across the state. The report highlights that opiates (prescription opioids and heroin) are still widely accessible, along with cocaine and crack cocaine. It also shows a trend of users beginning with prescription opiates and then moving towards heroin. In addition the report has begun monitoring ‘bath salts’, a recently popular synthetic designer drug, and reports that it too, is widely available.
With prescription opioids being widely available across Ohio, it is no surprise that drug addiction to these narcotics is also spreading. A substance abuse treatment provider is quoted as saying “getting worse and worse, and it’s scary” in reference to the abuse of prescription opioids. Users surveyed have spoken of the ease of obtaining these drugs; feigning pain or injury to gain access directly from doctors, direct payment to doctors for prescriptions, and even sending buyers to Florida (a widely known pill-mill state) to buy OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet, and the newly popular Opana. Opana is now becoming more sought after in certain regions of Ohio, because of the ability to use it intravenously, as new abuse deterrent modifications to OxyContin have made it more difficult than in previous times. As is common in Ohio as well as across the United States, users beginning with prescription opioids often switch to heroin, because of availability and price.
Heroin is also reported as highly available all over the State of Ohio, and as with prescription opiates, addiction is high. The types of heroin vary with the region: brown powdered heroin is prevalent in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Dayton; brown and white powdered heroin in Akron, Toledo, and Youngstown; and black tar heroin in Athens and Columbus. An OSAM participant is quoted as saying “Heroin is the most available drug out there now; Ohio is flooded with heroin. It’s an epidemic.” Law enforcement and substance abuse officials consider heroin to be the most wide spread and urgent drug problem in the state. Though heroin is very addictive by its nature, increased potency of the drug has not helped curb the situation. Users from across the state who participated in the OSAM survey rated the quality of heroin in Ohio on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest – the average rating was 8. Another statistic contributing to an increase in heroin potency is the number of deaths from heroin overdose. Cincinnati saw an increase in deaths from heroin overdose over the first six months of the year.
With the increase in availability and abuse of prescription narcotics, heroin, and other illicit substances, the only effective means to combat this problem is prevention through education and rehabilitation. The Freedom Center in Albion, MI is a leader in both of these areas. With a proven holistic rehabilitation program and effective drug education in schools, the Freedom Center is at the forefront in the struggle against drug and alcohol abuse. If a friend or loved one is struggling with addiction, call the Freedom Center today and speak with a drug counselor at 1-877-394-1828
