Heroin Use is Up in Will County
Will County law enforcement members have seen a shift from cocaine use to heroin use over the last three years.
Photos
Will County States Attorney James Glasgow had a message to share Monday night in Channahon. He wanted to spread the word that use of heroin has reached epidemic levels and that parents need to be hypervigilent to stop it.
“Our kids can pick up a hit of heroin for less than the price of a movie ticket,” he told Channahon Village Board members Monday night. “We’ve got to get the message out to the parents in the community at the grass roots level; you can't be asleep at the wheel.”
Glasgow said that about three years ago, those involved in law enforcement saw a shift from the use of cocaine to heroin. Although both are terrible for the community, the chance of overdose is much higher with heroin use.
“We’re on a pace for 60 fatal overdoses for Will County this year if we don’t do something.,” he said. “This is something we’ve never experienced before.
"(With) cocaine, you almost never saw an overdose.”
Glasgow said part of the reason that heroin use is on the rise is the sheer volume of it that is available. And, the use of it has become more socially acceptable as the purity of the drug has increased and it no longer necessary to use a needle to take heroin.
“It’s so pure that it can be smoked or snorted,” he said. “It’s becoming acceptable in the teenage culture right now.”
Channahon Village President Joe Cook said the information has to reach residents and that they must realize that heroin use is rising in all areas of Will County. No community is immune.
“Sometimes I think people in communities like ours think the heroin issue isn’t an issue here that it’s an inner city issue and it’s not,” Cook said. “This isn’t just an urban problem.”
In fact, on March 14, Channahon Police arrested a Minooka man on charges of possession with intent to deliver heroin.
Glasgow said of the 30 overdoses last year, three were in Naperville.
Glasgow said he likes to create solutions in Will County that other areas can copy. To that end, the HERO HELPS forum and youth rally will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and again from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 13 at Lewis University in Romeoville.
naabt
8:05 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
Do you or someone you know need help with heroin or painkiller addiction? This life-threatening medical condition can now be treated in the privacy of a certified physician's office with prescription medication called buprenorphine (Suboxone/Subutex). Bupe is abuse resistant and has a ceiling to its effects making accidental fatal overdoses unlikely. It also blocks other opioids for days, and is not euphoric to people tolerant to opioids. It has enough opioid effect to stop cravings and withdrawal allowing the patient and their family to make the necessary changes that will translate to sustained addiction remission.
TreatmentMatch.org is a free service from the non-profit organization naabt.org and is a confidential way to find doctors certified to treat opioid addiction in their office.
Learn more about buprenorphine at naabt.org
Dede
9:03 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
Be sure to check into this thoroughly. Like methadone, buprenorphine substitutes for the abused drug. And yes, it can be addictive. This certainly is not a cure-all. The addict still needs to change his way of living and must be ready to change people, places, and things.
Tom Selleck
8:43 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
You have to be the biggest moron to start or try using heroin in the first place!! Idiots!
Dede
9:10 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." Have you ever read To Kill a Mockingbird?
Infamous Steve
9:05 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
Holy crap Tom! I think this is the first time we agree on something. You do have to be pretty damn stupid to even think about doing heroin.
Tom Selleck
9:12 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
Yes we agree! Why doesn't one doing heroin , just put a gun to their head and play Russian roulette! Chances are better you may live long enough!
The Other Christine
9:44 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
We're talking about addiction. Good for you if you've never had a problem. You must be so smart! <--- sarcasm
We're also talking about children who are trying this stuff and getting hooked. So, before you start saying they're so dumb and should off themselves, maybe you should think of your children, or neices or nephews, or younger cousins, or neighbor's kids. The point of the article was that the problem is here- in Will County. And if someone needs help, they don't need your nasty comments- Tom and Steve.
Infamous Steve
12:37 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
lol Right....that is if you can still mentally and physically pick up the gun put it to your head and shoot! Dman Junkies!
Tom Selleck
10:02 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
It's called stupity to even try heroin just once! It wouldn't be an addiction if one statred using it in the first place! If your friend jumps off a bridge, will you follow them! Just like heroin if your friends use it, you do it!! Grow up people!
Amber
11:02 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
Agreed Tom! People are always tempted to try drugs but I'm sorry I have the balls to stand up for myself and say NO! Even kids are taught that they are bad and that all it takes is trying it once to become an addict!
I know people who are or were drug addicts. NO I don't feel that bad for them. They CHOSE to try it! My one friend says that he was under pressure from friends and he does it the most when he is upset or stressed out....boo freaking hoo! We all have stresses and problems. You are dumb if you think that trying drugs is going to improve any of that! So where is he now? Been in and out of jail, has a hard time finding work because of his criminal history, his family got sick of him lying, stealing and the influence he was showing on the younger kids, and can't get loans for school because of his legal troubles. Yeah that really sounds like he reduced his stress!
Angelique
11:30 am on Friday, March 23, 2012
The issue is total lack of parental supervision, In too many households, BOTH parents are working full-time, and by the time they get home from work , they either have too many household issues to take care of or they're usually too exhausted to "deal" with their children/teens and It's easier to just give them freedom and money, out of guilt.
APPARENLTY, programs like D.A.R.E. and "Just say no" are ineffective.
Infamous Steve
12:41 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
If anything programs like D.A.R.E. and so forth only teach kids what the differents drugs are. I remember from my D.A.R.E. days way back when I was taught and told about drugs that still to this day I have never encountered. Programs like that and the so called "War on Drugs" have to be some of the biggest wastes of my tax dollars.
Uncle Jesus
2:26 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
Please provide statistics to show that heroin addicts come from homes where both parents work and that homes with stay at home mommies produce no heroin addicts.
Tom
12:02 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
The scariest part about it is that it can be smoked. I can see how that would make it more widespread. I don't know if it's because smoking is so common or just how bizarre a needle is to a kid, but I could see smoking heroin to be a very dangerous thing that needs to talked about as much as possible at schools and everywhere a parent is listening. It could be something that could be slipped into a joint without a kid knowing, especially when you include the low cost into the equation. Yes, it's a stupid thing to do, but I think these factors make it easier for even a smart kid to make a stupid mistake. Obviously, this perfect storm is occurring with the arrests and deaths. Scary!
Tom
12:04 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
Nice work Dawn on posting this. Why isn't it in the Herald News?
Infamous Steve
12:43 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
It will probably be in there in like 3 days. I see that happen more and more now. I'll see a story on the Patch and then in the Herald 3-4 days later. Sometimes it is the next day...not often though.
Dawn Aulet
3:50 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
Thanks Tom!
FP
2:36 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
This is very scarey. For those of you who are bashing and calling KIDS stupid or idiota for trying it. Why don't you take that energy and get involved in helping them not to try it in the first place?!?!? Most of these KIDS are looking for acceptence or freedom from issues in their lives (bullying, abuse who knows) and for you to put them down even more that makes you part of the problem. Get involved, do something about it instead of sitting back making judgements!!!!
Tom Selleck
4:05 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
That's for the kids parents to get involved and not me! The kids got into the jamb, they have to figure how to get out of it now!
Amber
4:33 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
I don't want to help these kids! They ARE dumb for trying it! So what they have issues, so what they are bored, so what if their parent(s) are not around because they are working, so what they are bullied or looking for acceptance...all kids look for that or go through hard times! I did! I was bullied at times. My parents were divorced, my dad died on the 13th birthday, my mom worked like crazy to support us, I was depressed and I never once thought "Hey let me go do some coke or heroin." So yes I will judge because their reasons are just pathetic excuses.
I'm not their parent, teacher, relative or friend so NO it's not my job to help them! I help and am involved with groups that help people who are sick, not because they were stupid enough to try drugs but because they were born with an illness or something unfortunate happened to them (that wasn't caused by stupidity). I will help our veterans, I will help cancer patients, people with MS, the elderly, and animals. I will spend my time helping people who deserve it!
Tom
4:37 pm on Friday, March 23, 2012
It's not only the parents, which are number 1 of course, but society can and should help raise kids.
Infamous Steve
9:56 am on Saturday, March 24, 2012
Are you for real? Society rasing kids is how when end up with all these drug addicts and criminals. If anything people need to stop having kids they can't take care of and start accepting responsiblity for what they have created. Everyone has hardships in thier lives and I belive it is the norm to come from a single parent home in this day and age. People just make excuse after excuse for the things they do. YOU make the choice to become a addict. Years ago I did coke...did I turn into a addict? NO, why? Because of the simple fact I chose not to be one. At the same time I had a friend that did choose to be one. And hey what do you know he got away from it and turned his life around because he wanted too!
Laura Canniff
6:43 am on Saturday, March 24, 2012
To Amber- Do you help cancer patients who were stupid enough to smoke at some point in their life?
DAVID H MEDINA
3:02 pm on Thursday, April 5, 2012
I RECENTLY HEARD THAT MEXICO RESEARCHERS ARE WORKING ON A NEW TYPE OF MEDICINE THAT WILL DETER ALL TYPES OF HERION USERS.ANYONE ELSE HEARD OF THIS?
Tom SA/MH
5:18 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
There has been a fast, mysterious, and difficult to imagine stigma shift related to heroin use across our country. The Will County suburbs felt this stigma shift start in 2008, and it has helped lead to the rise of heroin use at such a fast rate that it has reached epidemic status. Here's a link to the overdose statistics: http://www.willcountyillinois.com/ElectedOfficials/Coroner/OverdoseStatistics/tabid/472/Default.aspx Nobody can say exactly what caused the stigma to diminish (although I do have a hypothesis).
The stigma of heroin that we have (by "we" I mean people born any time before around 1988 or so) is different from that held by today’s youth (although they do know about the former stigma). Snorting heroin is now closer to the stigma that smoking marijuana had in the 80s and 90s. Although I can't find recent data to show how many school-aged children in Will county have tried heroin, the Roosevelt University study and the following study show how and why heroin is on the rise in Will county: http://southwestcoalition.org/documents/Heroin%20Project%20Summary%20of%20Findings.pdf.
It is reasonable for people to don’t know about the stigma shift to think that only idiots try heroin. People must operate with the information that they have, which often is little more than the stigma we were all handed and a few second-hand experiences. For those interested in going beyond, the above articles are a great place to start.