9781422274279

Reasons for the increase in heroin use among teens aren’t hard to find. The drug is inexpensive, and needles are no longer required to use it. Pop culture has made the “heroin look” acceptable. Parents and teachers don’t know what to look for, and young users often fall through the cracks of medical care. At one time, heroin users were considered the dregs of society, and the drug was seen as a last resort for the most desperate addicts. Today, Woliver notes, the younger

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, studies indicate that women have a higher risk for overdose death than men during their first few years of injecting heroin.

13

Who Uses Heroin?