Combatting the Heroin Epidemic in Ohio

The Heroin Epidemic in the Buckeye State
Heroin Overdose deaths are more prominent in the news than ever before, and it is not because people are bored and decided to report on something. The spike in opioid overdoses is not something people can just decide not to hear, it is a growing problem and it is growing fast. Drug abuse is real and heroin is being abused every day on the streets of Ohio. We can prevent the growing opioid overdose epidemic in America by informing the general population on what actually happens in an opioid overdose, spending time and money researching new non-addictive pain-killing medication and fund and/or support the use of drugs to counteract the effects of the opiates for an overdose. Opioid Overdoses are now the

Heroin, also known as diamorphine, is an opiate typically used as a recreational drug. Medically it is used to relieve pain and as a form of opioid replacement therapy alongside counseling. Heroin is typically injected, usually into a vein. However, it can also be smoked, snorted or inhaled. Heroin purity has been classified into four grades. Number 4 is the purest form, white powder (salt) to be easily dissolved and injected. Number 3 is “brown sugar” for smoking (base). Number 1 and number 2 are unprocessed raw heroin (salt and/or

In the U.S., the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act was passed in 1914 to control the sale and distribution of diacetylmorphine and other opiates, which allowed the drug to be prescribed and sold for medical purposes. By the mid 1920’s, heroin manufacture had been made illegal in many parts of the world. The United States Congress banned heroin sales, importation of heroin and the manufacturing of heroin in 1924. Heroin marketing was essentially eliminated in the U.S. during World War ll because of brief trade troubles caused by the war. Although it remained legal in some countries until after World War ll, health risks, addiction and widespread recreational use steered most western countries to announce heroin a controlled substance by the late 20th century. Heroin is now a Schedule I substance, which makes it illegal for non-medical use. In the United States, diamorphine is a Schedule I drug according to the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, making it illegal to possess without a DEA license. If caught in possession of more than 100 grams of diamorphine or any mixture containing diamorphine, the punishment is a minimum sentence of 5 years in a federal