Rise In Heroin Abuse

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Heroin use is on the rise in the United States, expanding across all demographic groups both locally and nationally. The demographics of heroin users has shifted to include more women, more non-Hispanic Caucasians, and more middle and upper class Americans than ever before. As more heroin enters the country, it becomes more accessible and less costly. The increase in heroin abuse has led to more hospitalizations, more deaths from overdose, and higher instances of diseases such as Hepatitis C and HIV.
Between 2002 to 2013, the Centers for Disease Control found that heroin use had increased by 63 percent, with 517,000 people reporting past-year use or dependence in 2013. (Sifferlin, 2015) Although rates of past-year heroin use in 2013 were highest