Experts at the local, state, and federal level are battling a problem they say is growing surprisingly fast. WSIU's Jennifer Fuller explores the issue in this special report: Heroin in the Heartland."Heroin in the Heartland" Feature (6/25/2014)
For many years, if you asked someone in law enforcement about drugs they were finding, methamphetamine would top the list. Today, that list is changing.
“After probably 2002-2003, I probably only saw, in my patrol function and things that I did, saw heroin maybe one time until 2010-2011. Fast forward to where we are now, heroin is becoming as popular as crack cocaine.”
Sergeant Anthony Williams covers street crimes and narcotics for the Carbondale Police Department. He says he’s alarmed by the spread of heroin in this region, and wants people to know that it’s here – and it’s dangerous.
“It grabs people fast and it does not let go. It’s a very, very, very hard drug to kick.”
Recovering heroin addict Larry knows that all too well. He’s been off the drug for about three years, but still struggles with his addiction issues. But Larry says in his case, he’s got to stay clean.
“I got tired of seeing how it was destroying people’s lives. It has destroyed a lot of good lives, a lot of good friends. I’ve had friends die. The friend that I was getting mine from, his wife died from it. I’ve watched a lot of lives suffer, a lot of good friends just go downhill.”
Larry was exposed to drugs at an early age. He can remember bagging marijuana and hiding plants with his parents when he was a child. By the time he was 15, he was using cocaine and methamphetamine. He’s 33 now, and struggling to put his life together.
“My best advice is, if you want to have a normal life, you’ve got to get away from the stuff. Eventually it’s going to lead to something. If you have kids, you’re going to lose them – like I did. I lost my kids because I wouldn’t go through outpatient classes at the H Group. If I was doing what I’m doing now, my kids would be here with me and they’re not.”
Sergeant Williams can’t put a number on how many heroin cases he sees, but says there is definitely an increase over the last several years. Doctor Joseph Haake concurs. He heads up the Emergency Department at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale.
“What we usually see is patients that are barely able to respond, if at all; patients that are barely breathing, if at all. EMS is well trained in managing these patients, getting an IV line quickly, at getting respirations up either using bagging or supplemental oxygen or actually inserting an oral airway.”
Haake explains that heroin – an opium-based depressant – is incredibly dangerous to users, who many times don’t even realize they’re in trouble while they’re using.
“If they start to lose consciousness, they’re just plain going to die. There is nothing anyone can do. If they’re found by someone, there’s hope. But these patients are often incapacitated mentally to seek help, so they overdose, and they lay there and die.”
And Haake says sometimes, even if they do get to a hospital, it’s too late. Another recovering addict, EJ, watched his little brother die as the two of them were getting high just a few years ago.
“The mere coincidence that day, his dealer didn’t have any drugs. So he called me. He said, ‘give me some, I’ll split the bag with you.’ We split the bag. He had some other pills in his system from a day or two before that counteracted with the heroin and just like that – he died.”
EJ and Larry have stories that are similar in some ways, but in others very different. Larry has been off of heroin for about three years, but admits “slip-ups” with other substances since that time. He lost custody of his twin daughters because he wasn’t going to rehab meetings, and is working to get them back. After EJ’s brother died, he fought to get into rehab. He’s been clean for a year, works two jobs and has a wife and daughter that make his face light up.
“Then again, I have a life that I will actually lose. Somebody that’s usually in that predicament doesn’t have much to lose. They don’t have their own place, they don’t have jobs, cars, kids – some of them do – but they can still think about using. At this point, it’s just not even an option for me.”
Heroin addiction comes with other dangers and societal problems. Larry contracted HIV and Hepatitis C from sharing needles. Sergeant Williams says he’s also seen other connections:
“Not every crime is drug-related, but whole lot of them are. I would say a large percentage of your property crime has its roots in drugs.”
So drug addicts wind up behind bars on other charges. Some, like Larry, take that opportunity to get clean. Others will be back on the street as soon as they can to score another high. Williams says he doesn’t relish putting people in jail – but tells them sometimes that’s the only option left.
“Jail is a better place for you, because if this keeps this drug out of your hand, your family can still come visit you. If you die of a heroin overdose, they’re going to have to bury you.”
And Williams points out there are few options for rehab in a rural area like southern Illinois. EJ was able to get clean at a rehab center near Champaign, about three hours north. Doctor Haake says getting people the help they need is very hard.
“Geographically, in this area it’s very difficult for patients to enroll in rehab programs. There’s just not that much help available. Sometimes they need inpatient stays. The best place we have anywhere close to here is the greater St. Louis area. There’s a couple of places that will do in-patient rehab for them.”
Policymakers at the state and federal level are forming task forces, studying ways to combat the increase in heroin use, and finding funding is a major hurdle. Congressman Bill Enyart says it’s going to take a dramatic change both in policy and society.
“We can’t afford to lose a generation to heroin. I think it’s a multi-pronged approach. The police don’t provide all the answers. I think we need to have a strong educational system. We need to have parents who are involved, schools who are involved, so it’s a multi-pronged, societal approach.”
Enyart says he’s working to restore millions of dollars in funding for community policing programs, but it’s an uphill battle.
Larry and EJ say it’s a battle worth fighting, and Sergeant Williams and Doctor Haake say they’ll continue to fight.
Copyright 2014 WSIU Public Radio
