CDC reports on trends, risk factors behind heroin epidemic

Heroin use increased 63% among U.S. residents between 2002 and 2013, while the death rate from heroin-related overdoses nearly quadrupled, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Abuse or dependence on opioid pain relievers “was the strongest risk factor for heroin abuse or dependence,” the report adds, noting that most heroin users have a history of nonmedical use of prescription opioid pain relievers. “Heroin use is increasing at an alarming rate in many parts of society, driven by both the prescription opioid epidemic and cheaper, more available heroin,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D. “To reverse this trend we need an all-of-society response – to improve opioid prescribing practices to prevent addiction, expand access to effective treatment for those who are addicted, increase use of naloxone to reverse overdoses, and work with law enforcement partners like DEA to reduce the supply of heroin.”