Within the last few years, Wisconsin has seen an alarming trend in heroin use. No longer simply a problem of larger, metropolitan areas, the number of heroin-related cases has expanded in both number and geographic scope. The rural areas of Wisconsin are now experiencing the destructive power of this drug in a way that defies the traditional understanding of drug use.
Make no mistake; any presence of heroin is deeply troubling. It is an extremely addictive substance with a high risk of overdose, multiple methods of delivery, and a decreasing price tag. Paired with another recent trend - the increase in prescription drug abuse - the problem only gets worse. Heroin now offers a less expensive, yet more potent, alternative to using painkillers like OxyContin® (oxycodone) and Vicodin® (hydrocodone), both of which are opiates like heroin that produce similar effects.
Heroin abuse brings not only acute problems of overdose and death, but it is also accompanied by an increase in criminal activity. This can be observed in many forms, from simple theft to burglary to robbery. Also, law enforcement in Wisconsin is finding a number of drug users and dealers who are buying heroin in areas like Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago or Rockford using a portion of the drugs bought, then driving back to their community. This means we have a number of drivers who are traveling our roadways while under the influence of heroin, putting themselves and everyone around them in danger.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice has identified this growing epidemic a as priority. A number of Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) special agents in every field office in the state have been trained to be experts in opiate-related investigations. Numerous training opportunities on heroin awareness have also been conducted by DCI throughout the state, educating hundreds of law enforcement officers so far. DCI also supervises a number of task forces throughout the state that pair local, state, and federal resources to investigate and prosecute drug trafficking.
The most useful tool for fighting this growing drug problem, however, is public awareness. This new trend must be brought to the public's attention in order to prevent more harm. It has been the prevailing belief in Wisconsin to think that heroin is only a problem in large cities like Chicago. And it is true that rural areas have traditionally been saved from hard drugs like heroin, but the reality is that the newest markets for heroin are suburban and rural areas. The heroin trade does not conform to past stereotypes of inner-city deals in dark alleys, but instead follows money and demand like any legitimate business would in an emerging market, and dealers have found their new market in rural and suburban Wisconsin.
Make no mistake; any presence of heroin is deeply troubling. It is an extremely addictive substance with a high risk of overdose, multiple methods of delivery, and a decreasing price tag. Paired with another recent trend - the increase in prescription drug abuse - the problem only gets worse. Heroin now offers a less expensive, yet more potent, alternative to using painkillers like OxyContin® (oxycodone) and Vicodin® (hydrocodone), both of which are opiates like heroin that produce similar effects.
Heroin abuse brings not only acute problems of overdose and death, but it is also accompanied by an increase in criminal activity. This can be observed in many forms, from simple theft to burglary to robbery. Also, law enforcement in Wisconsin is finding a number of drug users and dealers who are buying heroin in areas like Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago or Rockford using a portion of the drugs bought, then driving back to their community. This means we have a number of drivers who are traveling our roadways while under the influence of heroin, putting themselves and everyone around them in danger.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice has identified this growing epidemic a as priority. A number of Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) special agents in every field office in the state have been trained to be experts in opiate-related investigations. Numerous training opportunities on heroin awareness have also been conducted by DCI throughout the state, educating hundreds of law enforcement officers so far. DCI also supervises a number of task forces throughout the state that pair local, state, and federal resources to investigate and prosecute drug trafficking.
The most useful tool for fighting this growing drug problem, however, is public awareness. This new trend must be brought to the public's attention in order to prevent more harm. It has been the prevailing belief in Wisconsin to think that heroin is only a problem in large cities like Chicago. And it is true that rural areas have traditionally been saved from hard drugs like heroin, but the reality is that the newest markets for heroin are suburban and rural areas. The heroin trade does not conform to past stereotypes of inner-city deals in dark alleys, but instead follows money and demand like any legitimate business would in an emerging market, and dealers have found their new market in rural and suburban Wisconsin.
