Assignment 2- "The Heroin Epidemic"

When I decided to Google “Heroin epidemic,” I got about 1,440,000 results.  

Five of these results were:

Lerner, S. & Stamp N.  (2014, May 16).  When heroin use hit the suburbs, everything changed.  The Washington Post.  Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com

McCrabb, R.  (2015, January 17).  Heroin epidemic escalating.  Dayton Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.daytondailynews.com

Pannell, I.  (2014, March 21).  The horrific toll of America’s heroin ‘epidemic’.  BBC. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com 

Potter, M.  (2014, September 6).  How heroin flows over the border and into suburbia. NBC News.  Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com

Sullum, J.  (2014, June 6).  Schumer’s $100 million cure for the heroin ‘epidemic’ is snake oil.  Forbes.  Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com

(Sorry for the formatting, it wouldn't correctly format as a bibliography)
          The three main themes that I have observed about the “heroin epidemic” from all of these sources is that heroin use is most prominent in a certain demographic, heroin has, especially recently, become cheaper and easier to obtain, and that, as a result, heroin usage has become especially pervasive in the past few years. 

          The first theme is that heroin has a specific demographic that uses it: the white suburban middle class, and in particular, teenagers.  I think that this theme is valid to the drug, as this provides information about the group most likely to use heroin.  However, creating a theory that a certain demographic uses a certain drug excludes other groups of users, and rather than focusing on everyone that needs help, people tend to only focus on helping the main demographic of people.  So, statistically, it is helpful to figure out the main users of the drug, but I think that realistically, no one should be excluded so they have an equal chance to receive help.  Another theme is that heroin has become cheaper to buy and easier to obtain especially in comparison to other problematic drugs, specifically prescription drugs.  I definitely think that this theme is appropriate, because when a drug is cheaper and easier to obtain (from a drug dealer rather than trying to get a doctor to give a prescription, for example), more people will not only have the ability to get the drug, but will be more willing to get the drug, which has definitely been a pushing factor in the recent “epidemic”.  The final theme is that heroin usage has become much more pervasive in the past couple of years, and I definitely think that this theme is valid.  The articles all seem to say that usage of heroin has surged suddenly in the past couple of years, and as more and more people get addicted, public resources have been getting overwhelmed.  Counseling centers have had month-long waitlists and there have been shortages of the overdose counter-drug.  Usage of heroin has clearly boomed much faster than expected, and public services are currently scrambling to catch up, showing just how quickly heroin usage became a major problem in society.

          While I did not realize it before starting this project, I definitely think that the heroin problem in the US can be considered to be an epidemic.  Its usage has increased so dramatically in the past couple years, especially in the younger generation, which makes it very apparent that it is a very popular drug in the drug-using community.  Also, the fact that heroin users are using public support resources faster than these resources can be replenished shows that there is definitely an epidemic of sorts in society.  As long as these sources are being used faster than they can be provided, the problem will not be able to be controlled, if even slowed.

          I think that the media labels recent usage of heroin as an epidemic because, first of all, the media is out to make a business.  They want to be overly-dramatic about current events in order to get people to read their stories.  Using such a serious-sounding word catches attention and convinces people to read the article.  However, heroin usage does seem to increasingly be a problem in the US, and by directing public attention to the problem as an epidemic, the media can begin encouraging society, both the lawmakers and citizens, to make a change for the better to help people out of the draw of heroin.

          What I found relates to class material in many ways.  First of all, and most notably, the “heroin epidemic” brings up the debate of addiction to a certain substance.  Heroin is a highly addictive substance, and many times, people even said that they were not just addicted to the drug, but they actually depended on it; they would even steal from innocent people to get money for their next fix of heroin.  People are ruining their lives over this drug, and in some cases, they take too much at a time or mix drugs and die from the overdose.  It is not a habit that can just be quit, and a lot of time and perseverance must be used to escape the addiction.  It also relates to the class because it can be seen how the government is trying to intervene with heroin usage.  It is a Schedule I drug, so it is not allowed in any context.  As such, the police are trying to crack down on heroin users and dealers alike in order to try to keep this drug off of the streets, though it can be seen where the struggle comes in between trying to enforce the law and trying to look out for the best of the citizens through rehabilitation.