Heroin 
deaths keep rising in Kentucky
If I remember correctly, KY was the first state to have a prescription monitoring program (PMP) called KASPER and I believe the cost of developing this was funded by Purdue Pharma. This was in the early- mid 90’s.. Initially, the database could only be accessed by law enforcement.. only when they have a active investigation … the law creating this PMP prohibited the PMP from doing any data mining to try and isolate those that were doctor/pharmacy shopping. Needless to say, it was reported .. that law enforcement averaged requesting ONE REPORT PER WEEK.
It was eventually opened up to healthcare professionals to have access to it. Like every other state that has started a PMP.. utilization by healthcare professionals requesting reports.. was dismal. In order to solve this problem, the bureaucrats passed a law in 2012.. that all healthcare professionals MUST pull a report before prescribing or dispensing a controlled med. Needless to say.. the number of reports requested WENT UP DRAMATICALLY !
From the article:
FRANKFORT – Heroin overdose deaths in Kentucky continued to surge in 2013 though the number of all drug overdose fatalities stayed steady, according to a report issued Thursday by the Office of Drug Control Policy.
Of the 722 overdose deaths autopsied by the Kentucky Medical Examiner last year, 230, or 31.9 percent, were attributed to heroin, compared to 143, or 19.6 percent, in 2012, according to the report. It also states there were 1,007 overdose fatalities in 2013, compared to 1,004 identified in the 2012 report.
As recently as 2011, only 3 percent of the 1,023 overdose deaths in Kentucky were attributed to heroin.
Experts pointed out that the numbers may actually underestimate heroin overdose mortality, since many deaths ascribed to morphine are likely overdoses from heroin that has metabolized in the victim’s body
The newspaper investigation also found that the number of heroin trafficking charges in Louisville went from a single inmate in 2011 to 53 in 2012 and 71 in 2013, and 100 from January to May this year (2014). And it found that heroin addicts are straining agencies across Kentucky, filling jails, courts and treatment centers.
Filed under: General Problems
Joy, wow, your husband totally nailed it.
I’ve been thinking that same thing for years.
These government agencies don’t want to be out of a job, so they are doing whatever they can to make sure they always have work to do, even if that means going after legit chronic pain sufferers, and taking away their meds, causing a surge in illegal drugs because people are simply trying to get out of pain.
Your husband is sadly, dead on correct.
I was talking with my husband about this topic the other evening (we both suffer from constant chronic pain conditions) and then he said it..as plain as can be, and I guess my mind never put it in such blunt order.
“Of course all of this is prompting a surge in street use of drugs. They (DEA) have to justify their agency. If you’re receiving a good level of care by a competent doctor and healthcare system (“the system” working properly) and legally getting prescribed medication at a dose & rate that’s helping more people more effectively, that means less illegal/illicit drug use.
Which means agencies such as the DEA, for a prime example would serve at less of a capacity, less funding, less reach etc… and they won’t stand for that..”
Just like 80% of the meth in this country, the heroin is coming from Mexico and south of the border. Both illegal drugs are in a far purer form than in the past making overdose incidences higher so users dont know what conconcentration they are tryly getting. But majority of Americans want to continue putting their heads in the sand and blame legitiamate chronic pain prescriptions with rheir usual knee jerk reactions.
The question is whether people are substituting heroin for morphine. Looks like they are. This means that the increased restrictions on morphine are fuelling heroin deaths. There is likely to be more people killed from heroin than morphine because the potency of heroin can vary dramatically and it is a much worse drug than morphine. Just another example of bureaucrats trying to solve social problems. They never have the insight to grasp what effect their legislation will have. They are always near-sighted and in trying to solve a problem they create an even bigger problem.