Heroin Deaths Increase in Dutchess County; Officials Warn of Gateway Drugs

Officials also are urging parents to monitor their medicine cabinets, pointing out that prescription drug use can often be a gateway to harder drugs and addiction.

The warning from the Dutchess County Criminal Justice Council comes as officials said heroin-related deaths in the county jumped to 13 in 2009, compared to six cases between 2007 and 2008.

Council officials said the federal Office of National Drug Control Policy has identified prescription drug abuse as the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States. Justice council officials said many young people addicted to heroin started by abusing prescription drugs.

“Across the country, there is a growing problem with youth using prescription pain medications pilfered from home medicine cabinets,” council Chairwoman Mary Ellen Still said in a release. “These medications are often gateway drugs that can quickly become addicting, and that addiction can lead to heroin use.”

Officials said teens often abuse prescription drugs because they are easily accessible — and often free or inexpensive.

County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kari Reiber is assisting a state law enforcement task force investigation into heroin use.

“Exhaustive toxicology studies suggest the current heroin on the streets is more pure, and therefore even more deadly,” Reiber said in a council release. “Drug users, who are lured by heroin’s cheap street price, may be unaware of its lethal effect.”

Local officials want to prevent young people from using drugs that could lead to addiction.

Officials said studies reveal that children who learn about the risks of drugs at home are up to 50 percent less likely to use them — but only one-third of parents discuss the risks of abusing prescription medicines with their teen children.

Still offered tips for parents. They include:

• Talk to children about the dangers of all drugs, including prescription and over-the-counter medications.

• Be aware of what is in your medicine cabinet. Keep an inventory of medications and how many pills are in each bottle. Track prescription refills.

• Keep medicines in a safe place, such as a locked cabinet.

• Dispose of unused or expired medications, which can be brought to one of the Dutchess County Resource Recovery Agency’s monthly Safe Medication Disposal Days.