Who would ever think in upscale communities in Charlotte, NC and Columbus, OH that over the last five years the black tar heroin trade has been on the rise not in the back alleys, but in the parking lots of ritzy shopping centers and streets of swanky neighborhoods? According to high-ranking officers in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), these two areas are “sister-cities” in the trade and Charlotte has become an epicenter for the drug as it is moved into the US from Mexico.
The High Intensity Drug Task Force that has been set-up to combat the problem is putting up cameras to survey the activity outside of trendy malls. They are having to develop whole new methods of surveillance because the rules of the drug trade have changed. Typical heroin users now tend to be teens and young adults from affluent families. They usually get hooked originally on prescription drugs from the family medicine cabinet. Once the prescription runs out, the cost of these pills can be in the ballpark of $80 per pill on the street as opposed to heroin which produces a similar high and costs roughly $12 a balloon.
Heroin Is Being Distributed in the Same Manner That Pizza Is Delivered
Cartels from Mexico send staff that set up houses to receive heroin shipments. The staff receives the heroin, cuts it with another substance (e.g., flour or dirt) and packages the drug in red balloons. Calls come in for orders and then drivers are sent out to deliver the heroin to customers in the same fashion that pizza is distributed. It is operated like a well-oiled business, but with no storefront and the upper tier of staff never have to leave their houses.
Experts Feel Education and Outreach Programs Are the Best Solution to the Heroin Problem
Officials understand that investigating and busting the distributors will only manage to slow down the flow of the drug into our cities, but will not stop it. Arresting dealers will not put an end to the issue of black tar heroin in our suburbs. Instead, according to experts, a multi-pronged educational approach holds the greatest promise.
The new task force hopes to educate adults through civic organizations and teens in schools on the dangers of prescription drugs. They want the community to understand how prescription medications truly function as a gateway to heroin use. They believe if people understand that just because doctors hand out prescription drugs, it does not make them safe when they are abused. Hopefully creating recognition on a wide scale of the connection between prescription medication abuse and heroin addiction will help people be more careful with what they keep and how they treat the drugs in their medicine cabinet.
Do you feel it is known that prescription drug addiction is leading to a rise in heroin use in American suburbs? What do you think legislators, officers and educators can do to stop this problem? All ideas are welcome below.
