FLORENCE COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – Heroin isn’t just a big city problem. The drug has worsened over the past few years and is making its way into rural areas.
Florence County authorities have reported a significant rise in heroin arrests and seizures from 2013 to 2015.
“I won’t call it an epidemic yet but certainly the increase in heroin use that we’re seeing is no inspector of person, class, gender or economic status,” said Major Mike Nunn with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office.
Drug rehab experts say heroin is becoming more used like marijuana and crack.
“I believe heroin is becoming closer to those than it has been in the past,” mentioned Circle Park Behavioral Health Services Clinical Director Holly Morrison.
In recent years, heroin arrests and seizures have been on the rise and law enforcement officials say heroin prices are mainly to blame for the drug spreading into rural communities.
“Cocaine has become pretty expensive and relatively speaking street heroin is pretty cheap,” Nunn said.
In 2013 the Florence County Sheriff’s Office seized 60.9 grams of heroin. In 2014 that number quadrupled to 323.16 gram of heroin. Then from January to November of this year that amount of heroin off the streets rose dramatically to 1696.23 grams of heroin.
Holly Morrison has worked at Circle Park Behavioral Health Services for 15 years. She says they too have seen an increase in heroin users and not just those using the drug but people using a substitute.
“I would say 1 out of 3 clients will have an opiate use problem,” said Morrison.
Morrison says even the number of teenage clients that receive treatment at the facility is growing.
“They are getting their hands on these pills. They are selling them at school. They’re getting them from their parents’ medicine cabinets and they come in with problems at 19 and 20 years old in an active addiction,” Morrison explained.
Long term use of opiates can cause dependence, and when the prescription runs out the cheapest quick fix is heroin.
“It takes weeks and months and years to get these people’s lives back together,” said Morrison.
So to put a cap on those crimes and the influx of heroin, officials say they’re counting on the community.
“The best information that we receive is from the public,” mentioned Nunn.
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office is woking with federal and state agencies to combat the the growing problem of the drug. Because of that Major Mike Nunn says he expects the number of heroin-related arrests and seizures to rise.
