Heroin in Cincinnati

Heroin is known as a highly addictive drug, and has an extremely high rate of addiction and overdosing. Because of its euphoric effects, it is extremely easy to become attached to the drug. Heroin has plagued users for decades, and the use of it is still prominent in many large cities across the world.

One extremely prominent example of this is the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati currently has a heroin epidemic, and the staff of the Cincinnati Enquirer set out to report just how bad the situation actually is. The news source published “Seven Days of Heroin” back in September of 2017, and won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting for their work. Their work includes a full length report, a video detailing their findings, and a behind-the-scenes view at their search. Their report goes into immense detail into some of the lives of people struggling with addiction to heroin, and the statistics they give are mind-blowing.

Before diving into the statistics and attributes of the users of the drug, it is important to know just how strong heroin actually is. According to American Addiction Centers, heroin is an illegal drug with no medical purposes, and can be injected, smoked, or snorted when abused. The drug is fast-acting and creates a short, intense rush. There were a reported 15,482 deaths based on heroin overdoses in 2017.

The Cincinnati Enquirer does an exceptional job of following the lives of Cincinnati residents dealing with a heroin addiction. By providing in-depth and up close analysis, it shows a side of reporting that normally isn’t seen in a situation like this one. It is nearly impossible to get so many different experiences from so many different people, but Terry DeMio and the Cincinnati Enquirer do an incredible job by gathering up over four dozen reporters and photographers to gather content around the city over a short period of time.

The way of reporting done in “Seven Days of Heroin” is nothing short of innovative and incredible. The creators published the report, detailing information by the minute. They organized the information in chronological order, plotting times by the minute throughout the week. The effort that was put into this report was mind blowing, as the final result was well deserving of a Pulitzer.

This heroin epidemic is very real and very unfortunate, as the many lives it changes continues to increase. The statistics shown at the end of the report highlight 180 overdoses, 18 deaths, and 15 babies whose lives are changed forever due to health problems caused by heroin/opioid use by their mothers. This can be connected to the situation Westchester is in right now. Although it isn’t as prominent, Westchester is currently in the middle of an opioid crisis. According to Westchester Magazine, the county of Westchester had 213 overdoses and 68 deaths caused by opioids in 2018. This number, although not at the same level as Cincinnati, is still extremely high and should be prevented. America as a whole had 70,237 drug-overdose deaths in 2017, and President Trump declared use of opioids a national public health emergency.

The use of heroin is obviously illegal, with the drug serving no purpose for medical use. Therefore, the addicts and heroin users are most likely getting this drug from dealers. These dealers are lacing their drugs to make them stronger, making it more likely for an overdose and an addiction to occur. In order to prevent this epidemic from continuing, it is imperative that places such as Cincinnati increase the law enforcement in the city to prevent drug dealers from continuing the reign of such a powerful drug.

Heroin is a deadly drug and can ravage through entire communities and cities, taking innocent citizens’ time, money, and possibly lives. By providing insight on a week surrounding the use of heroin among addicts, The Cincinnati Enquirer does a great job of proving that it is necessary for change to occur within the opioid community. By opening up readers’ eyes to the horror of what goes on, it brings attention and awareness to the topic, which promotes further discussion and possible change. This story was truly incredible, informative, and extremely well put together.