the NYC area is seeing a sharp resurgence in heroin usage among suburban teens and Channel 11 is going to tell you why in their six part docu-series
Back in 2009, WPIX investigative reporter Mary Murphy did a special report called “Heroin High” on the rising use of heroin in suburban and otherwise affluent communities. Since then, Murphy has noticed that the statistics have only gotten more horrifying in the five boroughs and surrounding areas such as Long Island, Connecticut, suburban NJ, and other communities where this drug has come upon some as a surprise.
In 2012, there were three overdoses a day in Long Island’s Nassau and Suffolk counties. In Staten Island and surrounding New Jersey communities, ODs were up to three every five days. In 2013, 420 people in the tri-state area overdosed on opiates, synonymous with opium, which is the raw, active ingredient in heroin. These drugs include, but are not limited to, percocet, vicodin, xanax, oxycontin, and other prescription pills that have become America’s drugs of choice in the new millennium.
With the homicide and vehicular death rates lower than overdose deaths, Murphy knew that something had to be done again in 2014. In her special report, which airs on WPIX channel 11 everyday this week at 10pm EST, Murphy teams up with James Hunt, the NYC area DEA special agent in charge to discover why and how heroin use has risen 74% among minors 12 years and up.
If you want to see Murphy’s breakdown of the heroin epidemic from A-Z, go to WPIX11.com and check out Mary’s blog.
-Sha Be Allah(@KingPenStatus)
