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Heroin Use on the Rise in Minnesota, But Not for Students

Jan 20, 2010

An increase in heroin use in parts of the Minnesota metropolitan area has police and public health officials on the offensive, but college students have seemingly remained apart from the trend. Rates of heroin-related treatment admissions, emergency room visits, mortality, and use by prisoners are all higher than what they were in 2000. The trend has prompted law enforcement agencies to call for greater education on the subject. “Our purpose… was to simply cast some light on this,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek. A transition to powder heroin, which can be smoked, has led to increased use because there is less of a stigma around inhaling than injecting, Stanek said. He also stressed that this could attract younger and less experienced drug users. Despite the overall trends, no significant increase in heroin use has been identified in college students. Overall opiate use among Minnesota college students has remained relatively constant at 0.8% from 2007 to 2009, according to Boynton Health Service surveys. A 2009 survey also found just 0.2% of full-time college students nationwide reported using heroin in the previous year.

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Source

The Minnesota Daily