Officials fight local increase in teen Oxycontin, heroin abuse

Abuse cases related to the drugs Oxycontin and heroin are on the rise in Johnson County, law enforcement officials announced Friday.

The cases are especially prevalent among teenagers and young adults, and in some instances have resulted in overdose and death. In an effort to counteract the increased abuse, county officials recently launched an initiative to make parents and young adults aware of the issue.

The trend in Johnson County mirrors what is being seen nationally, Overland Park Police Sgt. Dan Carney said. In many cases, young adults gain access to prescription drugs like Oxycontin after they have been prescribed to parents, he said.

A move to heroin is a common step once someone becomes addicted to Oxycontin, said Overland Park Police Sgt. Cindy Henson.

“I believe it is a much closer (connection) than many people perceive,” Henson said.  “…What we’ve found is when they start shooting Oxycontin it is a very natural progression into heroin. It is a much cheaper way of doing it.”

Based on local police investigations, distributors are buying heroin in Kansas City, Kan., and selling it to friends and acquaintances in Johnson County, Henson said.

The Overland Park Police Department is aware of 15 Oxycontin/heroin related overdoses and eight deaths in all of 2007. Halfway through this year, the drugs contributed to 22 overdoses and six deaths. These cases mostly involved individuals ages 16 to 25, officials said.

“I’m afraid the numbers we don’t know about are perhaps worse than the numbers we do know about,” Carney said.

Based on the growing trends seen across the country, higher numbers are likely, he said.

A PowerPoint presentation titled “From Oxycontin to Heroin: Life and Death in Johnson County,” has been distributed to Johnson County school districts and will be available for community groups and events.

The PowerPoint includes pictures of the drugs to help parents and students identify them and information about dangers and laws related to use. It also includes the story of a local high school wrestler who died after taking the drugs.

Officers stressed that the PowerPoint was released to schools as a way to raise awareness among a lot of people quickly, not because it is considered a school-related problem.

Prevention will be essential in dealing with this issue, said Janine Gracy, director of the Regional Prevention Center, Olathe. She recommended that individuals take inventory of their prescription pills and lock them up in order to prevent easy access. When it comes time to dispose of pills, place them in undesirable contents like coffee grounds or kitty litter, tie them in a bag and throw them away.

“Prevention is key so that other Johnson County families don’t have to suffer the tragedies that some of our Johnson County families have gone through,” Gracy said.

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