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South Lake Tahoe becoming a mecca for heroin users


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Publisher’s note: This is the first of two stories about heroin use on the South Shore.

By Jessie Marchesseau

South Lake Tahoe has seen its first heroin-related death for 2012, and if 2011 is any indication, it will not be the last.

The victim, a 31-year-old female, was found in a South Lake Tahoe hotel room on Feb. 2, and was transported to Barton Memorial Hospital where she later died. She showed evidence of being a long-term drug user and had a history of drug-related charges. Toxicology reports are still pending, but El Dorado County sheriff’s Lt. Les Lovell and Detective Matt Harwood, coroner investigator for South Lake Tahoe, say it is an obvious heroin overdose.

South Lake Tahoe has a higher per capita population of heroin users than some major cities.     — Rich Barna, Tahoe Turning Point executive director

Just four days later, another opiate-related death occurred, this one, an overdose of prescription pain medication.

In 2011, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department recorded nine opiate-related deaths in South Lake Tahoe. That is a significant number for a city with a population of less than 25,000. In fact, Rich Barna, executive director at Tahoe Turning Point, an outpatient counseling and rehabilitation center, says South Lake Tahoe has a higher per capita population of heroin users than some major cities.

The reason for this is unclear. What is clear, however, is that there have been an alarming spike in heroin arrests and seizures in the South Lake Tahoe area during the last 12 months.

The South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team seized 239 grams of heroin in 2011. This is up from 6.2 grams in 2010 and 21.8 grams in 2009. That is more than a 1,000 percent increase in just two years.

Halfway through 2011, South Lake Tahoe was ranked the No. 1 location for heroin seizures in the Eastern California District. The final numbers for 2011 are not in yet.

“We are almost constantly filing cases for use, possession and sale of heroin,” Hans Uthe, El Dorado County deputy district attorney in the South Tahoe office, told Lake Tahoe News.

While Barna believes it is not so much an increase in heroin usage as it is in people getting caught, Lovell and SLEDNET task force agent Brandon Auxier are convinced otherwise.

“What we see historically is we see drugs come and go,” Lovell said, “… and heroin’s one of those that comes and goes.”

Lovell and Auxier attribute heroin’s current popularity to a difficulty in obtaining OxyContin. Also called Hillbilly Heroin, OxyContin is a fairly common prescription painkiller. Both drugs are opiates, both are extremely addictive. But at $25 for a single dose, heroin has a much more attractive price tag than OxyContin, which runs about $80 per pill. Heroin is also much more accessible than the prescription drug.

Counselors at Tahoe Turning Point say switching from prescription painkillers to street drugs such as heroin is a common progression. This is why heroin users can be found at any age, from all walks of life and with varying backgrounds. It is also why authorities are seeing an increase in heroin use among teens. What starts with painkillers for a sports injury or from raiding mom and dad’s medicine cabinet can progress to heroin usage.

But the transition from one drug to the other is not always easy.

“People don’t realize how easy it is to overdose,” Harwood said.

As a coroner investigator, Harwood said he has seen a definite increase in heroin- and opiate-related deaths compared to five or six years ago. And with two already on the books, 2012 is shaping up to be a killer year.

“It’s unfortunate that we have so many people addicted to it,” he said.

This increase in heroin usage brings with it an increase in people trying to kick the habit. Tahoe Turning Point has experienced an obvious increase in patients seeking treatment for heroin since last summer.

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Note: On Feb. 18, Lake Tahoe News will share Josh’s story; from his heroin-induced downward spiral to his journey up the road to recovery.

 

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Comments

Comments (24)
  1. Joe Stirumup says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    the nick name that sticks…

    Oakland ghetto with a view.

  2. 30yrlocal says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    Sobering statistics, ones that I was totally unaware of. I would hope awareness of the problem will help it get taken care of.

    What can we do as a town to help?

  3. biggerpicture says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    Although this is very concerning, let’s put things into perspective: 160,000+ people just in the US die every year from the physiological effects of alcohol. 460,000 plus a year in the US die from the effects of tobacco (would be interesting to see how many deaths attributed to these two substances in SLT every year). All elicit drugs combined (excluding prescription drugs) account for roughly 17,000 deaths per year in the US. Now tell me, what REALLY is America’s substance abuse problem?

  4. Raina Silva says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    I am raising teenagers and these things scare the heck out of me. I think of the wildly reckless things I did as a teenager that could have easily cost me my life and I am glad that my children have the guidance I never had. For me it works better not to preach but to give them the real facts. It’s hard to have those conversations but it’s the only way to help them make educated choices. I can only hope to educate them because I can’t live on their shoulder s

  5. 30yrlocal says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    Bigger picture: it doesn’t make any of them right. Who cares which abuse has the most deaths? Abuse is abuse. and its sad that people can’t make the move to beat their addiction and instead die (or cause others to die).

    The criminal/druggie climate in this town is growing. Is it because of the gateway drug now at your corner store? Is it because of people lacking control and knowledge? Is it the economy? That is all debatable but now that we know about the heroin problem, what can we do about it? All of the abuse problems mentioned have been brought out into the forefront and things are being done to prevent them.

    I appreciate this article bringing this heroin problem out in the open.

  6. Citizen Kane says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    Biggerpicture above did indeed exhibit the bigger picture!! It’s a sad one of course.

  7. Not New says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    When I started in law enforcement in 1979 heroin was big. Then it went away. Think about it, look at the drugs that get into the headlines. You don’t deal with a specific drug you deal with the issues that make it popular.

  8. fromform says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    30 yr: gateway=alcohol. obviously. ‘thanks for pointing this out’

  9. Julie Threewit says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    After 40 years and $1 trillion, the US war on drugs has failed to meet any of its goals.

    That $1 trillion is tax payer money.

  10. Laura says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    Let’s hope The Drug Store Project put on for school aged kids at the college the end of March and supported by many local organizations and public agencies continue to impress the kids about the dangers of gateway drugs and alcohol abuse. When they see the dangers of making the wrong choices, it is expected it will make a difference when/if their peers encourage them to make bad choices. This is not the total answer, for good parental guidance must reinforce these teachings. Educate the parents. So many of the kids’ problems begin in the family and are perpetuated throughout the generations.

  11. Chief Slowroller says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    if you look at the fact that America took over the World Opium Trade in 2001

    and Hillbilly Herion rose to the top of the charts at that time

    here in town Herion is $20.00 a hit and in Reno it’s $5.00 a hit where the addiction is a real problem

    the local dealers go to Reno to buy it and bring it back here

  12. biggerpicture says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    30 year local, I would have to disagree with your statement that the criminal/druggie element is growing in this town. Can you show me where drug related crime in this town has risen in the last thirty years that both you and I have lived here? What I think is happening is a situation where the drugs of choice are changing in our society as a whole. Prescription medication (by far one of the biggest problems of the new millennium,and one that is being fueled by large pharma companies and our society’s belief that if something is wrong, then just fix it with a pill), followed by meth and then heroin use have increased exponentially over the last 10 years, which I feel has absolutely no correlation to marijuana.

  13. Alex Campbell says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    After reading para.4, i wonder if the count per capita could possibily include
    fun loving hooked tourist.

  14. PubWorksTV says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    Some towns rock and roll…

    SLT is the Rot n’ toll of a decay ….

  15. dogwoman says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    Bigger Picture has a good point. Drugs were HUGE in this town in the early ’80’s. It was different times, though, and mostly people wanted to stay up and play all night, hence cocaine.
    Nowadays, the fun times are gone and you can’t party all night without getting beat up by thugs or pulled over by the police, so folks stay in. Depressing=heroin.
    I personally think the war on drugs has been a dismal failure. Prohibition doesn’t work. People who want to get high will find a way. But all the best to Raina! You have the right idea, and I hope your kids listen to and appreciate you.

  16. Matt Jen says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    We agree 30 yr. Booze is on every corner, but it was voted in and re-legalized so we have to deal with it. Also agree with the friend about meth and heroin not stemming from marajuana use. We have a situation where we are told to “Take this and you’ll feel better” since we were kids and we continue doing it as adults. Is there really so much to “feel better” from? We love and respect all the people who write in with different opinions so we can all look at things differently. Thank you for being such a wonderful community, and giving of your time on community matters.

  17. Chief Slowroller says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    YO Bigger the town has a Big problem with HERION addiction

    just look around every time you see a piece of foil on the ground check it for burnt residue

    compareing the addiction to coke is not the same you can quit Coke it aint that hard as anybody who lived here in the 70s-80s can tell you

    as the local doctors can tell you that quiting Opiate’s is the most difficult thing to do

    and as we all know Marijuana opened the door for everything else

  18. orale says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    Its a proven fact – everyone who ever got hooked on heroin drank milk.

    Milk is the gateway drug!

  19. biggerpicture says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    Chief, the way I understand it is the foil thing is used for oxycotin, which may be an opiate, albiet a pharmacutical one. I would also argue that 90%+ marijuana users have not graduated on to harder drugs. And the gateway drug issue is unproven with no real science to back it up.

  20. Chief Slowroller says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    oxcotin has been changed so that you can not crush them up to snort or smoke

    that’s why the local children moved over to Herion, cheeper and a lot easyer to get

    you could ask any one in my generation that if they smoked pot did they try
    LSD
    MUSHROOMS
    CRANK
    REDS
    BEANS
    PCP
    DMT
    MDA
    COCAINE
    RAINBOWS
    BLACK BUEATIES
    GLUE
    BOOZE
    Herion
    VALIUMS
    DARVASET
    QUALUDES
    and if they are an honest person they will admit to at least one of these things

    myself I liked the LSD

  21. snoheather says - Posted: February 17, 2012

    Gateway drug is an illogical term. There are many things that cause a person to try any of the above listed drugs and to say that all people who smoke pot will use other drugs is wrong. I’ve known a lot more people seek the above mentioned drugs when drinking alcohol than those that have been smoking. Placing the blame of drug use on a so-called gateway drug is just another way people keep on trying to make excuses for their, or their family members, actions.

  22. tahoegal says - Posted: February 21, 2012

    Now that article will sure entice families to move to So. Lake Tahoe! Over the years families have moved to Tahoe thinking their kids would be out of the “bad elements and drugs”, only to find that there was more access than they would have imagined. As long as the casino element runs the So. Shore, there will be be a plentiful supply – remember the Mayor Trupp?

  23. forheidi says - Posted: February 22, 2012

    I have to say that I personally believe the SLT police and the drug enforcers with SLT could have saved one of these two lives that were lost already in 2012. How does a person with warrents after warrents and arrested for involvment of a herion bust of 11,000.00 worth of heroin, not to mention the other drugs they were distributing not get locked up and is out the next day? I feel the SLT police used her as a decoy to get bigger and better busts while watching this person become a junkie before their eyes. Why wasn’t there a punishment? Like a year in jail or a year in a drug program?? I watched this person get busted time after time for drugs and every time I thought now she will be forced to go to rehab or jail. But nothing ever happened. She would be out the next day to make another deal for the big dealers. She was used as bait for the police and it turned her into a full blown herion adict. Now she is gone, leaving a beautiful 11 yearold daughter who was the only thing in her life she truely loved until the end. R.I.P. You r in no more pain, but an Angel of God.

  24. Heidi's Mom says - Posted: March 2, 2012

    I wish South Lake Tahoe could have experienced my daughter as we knew her growing up. Easy going,witty,a talented artist and caring person. She was not a “loser”.We as a society lose when addictions rob us of the potential contributions that could be made by stricken individuals. Some may say that my daughter got what she deserved.I say she deserved to be free of the deamons that awaited her at South Lake Tahoe and she is.