Heroin raising its ugly head

Judging from the recent number of heroin-related drug overdoses, it appears that drug of the 1960s-1970s is again increasing in popularity and use in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

With four heroin overdose and one suspected heroin-related death in Parkersburg over the last two weeks, Parkersburg police believe the drug's usage has reemerged and is on the rise.

All four of the latest victims have been in the 22-to-31-year-old bracket and it was a 27-year-old woman whose death is believed to have been the direct result of a heroin overdose.

While there seems to be an abundance of meth-related arrests and raids on labs involved in making meth, reports of heroin use been rare up until a few weeks ago, leaving one to wonder why the resurgence.

I can remember being a college student and later a young reporter in Central Ohio in the late 1960s and early 1970s and seeing a lot of police reports of people being arrested for possession of heroin, but that trend died down as cocaine and other drugs swept into popularity among those taking drugs, transporting drugs and selling drugs.

Heroin is highly addictive, which makes it highly dangerous and life altering.

Let's hope the latest trend of heroin usage and subsequent overdoses fades away as rapidly as it appeared.