Twin epidemics know no bounds
Day in and day out, heroin is ruining lives and ravaging communities.
The rising popularity of this potent and illegal drug has had catastrophic effects nationwide. In 2007, there were 2,400 heroin-related deaths in the U.S. By 2014, that number grew to more than 10,000 — an increase of 340 percent.
Often, prescription opioids serve as a gateway to heroin use. These pills, created for medical use, can have devastating effects when consumed recreationally.
Among new heroin users, four out of five report previously abusing prescription opioids before using heroin. More than 60 percent of the 47,000-plus drug-related deaths in 2014 were attributed to heroin or prescription opioid abuse.
Maintaining a prescription drug addiction can be costly. A single pill can cost as much as $60. However, people can buy a bag of heroin — significantly more potent than a prescription pill — for a fraction of the cost.
Prescription opioid abuse and heroin use cut across socioeconomic lines. Users range from the inner-city to the suburbs, blue collar to white collar, preteens to teens, college students to middle-aged adults and senior citizens.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee takes this threat extremely seriously. With our law enforcement partners, we remain committed to bringing to justice those who supply and distribute these lethal substances.
In August alone, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has prosecuted multiple individuals engaged in heroin and prescription opioid distribution. Among them were an 11-member heroin trafficking organization responsible for moving massive amounts of the drug from Texas to Memphis for distribution. The group was collectively sentenced to more than 64 years in federal prison.
Further, two Memphis men engaged in the distribution of heroin, oxycodone and other controlled substances collectively received more than 20 years in federal prison for their criminal activity.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is also ramping up its prevention efforts regarding heroin and prescription opioids. Our office has received funding from the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program to implement a federal initiative that targets criminal activity involving heroin and prescription opioids.
In collaboration with the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office, we will use the HIDTA funding to hire a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and support staff member to prosecute heroin and opioid cases.
Due to the startling effects of prescription opioid abuse and heroin use nationwide, the Department of Justice has launched a National Heroin & Opioid Awareness Week. During the initiative, which began Monday and runs through Friday, our office will help educate the public on the adverse impact prescription opioids and heroin are having on the community.
We also are highlighting the efforts by law enforcement to combat this problem through various initiatives, state and federal prosecutions, and community outreach endeavors.
One effort already in place that has helped suppress pharmaceutical-controlled substance abuse and distribution nationwide is the DEA’s National TakeBack Initiative. Each year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies participate in Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which gives citizens the opportunity to dispose of unused, unwanted and expired prescription drugs. Millions of pounds of prescription drugs have been collected and disposed of since the Take-Back’s inception.
The abuse of heroin and prescription opioids constitutes two of the greatest public safety and public health epidemics of our time.
Through criminal prosecutions, collaborative initiatives with our law enforcement and public health partners, and community engagement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will remain steadfast in mitigating the wrath of these drugs — restoring our communities and saving lives in the process.