According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) deaths from opioid use is at an all-time high. In 2014, 47,000 people died from drug overdose. CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden remarked that the statistics illustrate the need for law enforcement to intensify efforts “to reduce the availability of heroin, illegal fentanyl and other illegal opioids.” The fact is that since 2000, there has been a 200 percent increase in deaths involving opioid pain relievers such as heroin. This drug, which has been around for more than a century, is among the most popular illegal substances found in New York.
A little history
Heroin is an opium derivative that was synthesized by Bayer, the respected German pharmaceutical company and a household name here in America. It first came to market in 1898 as a cough suppressant. In fact, “Heroin” was originally a brand name. It was supposedly taken from “heroisch,” which is German for “heroic.” Like other drugs, heroin has been at the center of passing epidemics. It showed up in the late 1960s and early 1970s when some soldiers who served in Vietnam came home with the problem of heroin addiction.
A New York drug threat
Because it shares a border with Canada, the State of New York is a main U.S. entry point for drugs. International drug traffickers favor New York City because of its ports. The most popular illegal drugs here are cocaine, ecstasy, crack and heroin, and the drug trade continues to grow. Traffickers use shipping businesses, mass transit and modern technology to ply their trade and, at the same time, they work diligently on building resistance to law enforcement strategies.
Treating addiction as a disease
Although tough drug laws are enforced for drug lords, a New York law passed in 2009 permits judges to send those convicted of lesser offenses to treatment programs. Today, the state has many additional treatment facilities for detoxing and rehabilitation. The goal is to get rid of the toxins that keep an addict biologically dependent on a drug such as heroin. Treatment programs are conducted and monitored by medical professionals and are seen to be successful in helping people enslaved by opioids and other debilitating substances recover from their addiction and rejoin the world.
The need for legal help
You may have become addicted to an opioid like heroin due to a medical issue and now need it however you can get it. You may have been caught selling this drug. From trafficking to possession, if you are arrested on a drug offense, you need the help of an experienced attorney who can provide you with aggressive criminal defense.
