The front lines of the heroin epidemic
Communities across the United States are struggling with an epidemic of overdose deaths due to heroin and opioid pain pill addiction. On March 15, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), announced guidelines for doctors to reduce the amount of opioid painkillers prescribed nationwide, in an effort to curb the epidemic. The CDC estimates that most new heroin addicts first became hooked on prescription pain medication before graduating to heroin, which is stronger and cheaper.