The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

Heroin new drug of choice in Vt.

[Note – Some names have been changed to protect the source] Heroin use has been on the rise in Vermont, Sgt. Michael Warren of the Burlington Police Department said. Due to recent redesign of the highly abused painkiller OxyContin that has made pills more expensive and harder for users to reach a high, consumers are headed toward cheaper and easier means of use, Warren said.?[The pills] can?t be crushed and snorted. The effects are diminished when they do that,? he said. ?People can?t get the same high? so if they want that same kind of high, they?re forced to use a drug like heroin.?Following this spike in heroin use, several arrests and raids have taken place throughout the Burlington area.Since the beginning of the year, the BPD has conducted seven search raids, leading to 15 arrests for possession and use of heroin, cocaine and marijuana, according to the BPD.Vermont is the top ranked state in the nation for illicit drug use other than marijuana for adults aged 18-25, the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health stated.Illicit drug use constitutes heroin, cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants and prescription-type opiates, according to the survey.Hitting closer to home, heroin abuse has affected the UVM community in the past.Since the 2009 fatal heroin overdose of UVM senior Will Gates, Burlington Police and others have tried to get the word out about the life threatening use of illicit drugs, Warren said. Gates? father has toured New England showing public service announcements for colleges, as well as participating in the documentary ?The Opiate Effect,? he said.The documentary, shown at the University last year, depicts the struggle of the molecular genetics major?s addiction to heroin.Steve*, a senior, said he used to sell OxyContin pills to friends before he realized it often led to even more dangerous drug abuse.?It?s something that I?ve always regretted,? he said. ?It led to a lot of them getting into h [heroin]. And it doesn?t just destroy them, it destroys everything around them.??The glamor drugs pull more attention because it?s much more public while h [heroin] isn?t even in many conversations on what needs to be fixed. It?s a much larger problem than most people understand,? Steve said. Illicit drug use has also lead to increased criminal activity, including burglary, which has directly affected students, said Dr. Jon Porter, the director of the Center for Health and Wellbeing.Two students were stabbed during a robbery involving over $2,000 worth of acid in the Wing parking lot in December of last year, according to a previous Cynic article. Through implementing these strategies as well as others, there are three main solutions to stopping and preventing the escalation of drug use, Warren said.?There has to be a deterrence, there has to be education, there has to be treatment,? he said. ?All those things have to work together.?Heroin and other drugs are prominent in the Old North End specifically, UVM senior and former resident of the area Janice Brewer said.?I quite often did not feel safe, especially when I was home alone,? she said. ?I never felt like I could leave my house at night. You?d think it would be safe, since there was an elementary school across the street, but no.?In another effort to decrease the drug usage in Vermont, the U.S. Attorney?s Office in Burlington is holding a conference on drug use and law enforcement response on April 15, according to the Justice Department?s website.UVM?s Center for Health and Wellbeing offers and refers services to students in need of drug treatment or rehabilitation, Porter said.

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Heroin new drug of choice in Vt.