cannabisnews.com: Heroin, Other Drugs Surpass Marijuana in Arrests Heroin, Other Drugs Surpass Marijuana in Arrests Posted by FoM on November 26, 1999 at 07:52:06 PT By Shantee Woodards, Capital News Service Source: Journal Online Arrests for heroin, cocaine and opiates exceeded marijuana arrests in Maryland in 1998 for the second year in a row, as heroin continued its spread into the suburbs, authorities said. Heroin and related drugs made up 55 percent of the more than 40,000 drug arrests in the state in 1998, according to Maryland State Police statistics. Police arrested 22,749 people in 1998 on charges of possession and sale of heroin and related drugs, an 11 percent increase from the 20,580 arrested in 1997. Marijuana arrests, by contrast, totaled 17, 445 in 1998 and 16,007 in 1997. Marijuana is a ``primary substance of abuse'' and its use typically leads to other drugs, authorities said. Exact numbers of heroin arrests are hard to come by, since the drug is lumped in with opium, cocaine and its derivatives. But Maryland State Police said they have noticed an increase in heroin use throughout the state. They could not say why heroin use is growing, however. ``If I knew that answer, it would get solved,'' said Lt. Joe Barker, a state police spokesman. The increase could be partly attributable to the overall increase in drug arrests: The 41,489 arrests in 1998 represented a 7 percent increase from 1997. But officials at the Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) in College Park said the one reason for the growth in heroin arrests is that use of the drug is expanding from Baltimore City into more suburban areas. Arrests for possession of heroin-class drugs increased in 13 counties and Baltimore City from 1997 to 1998, according to state police data. Eleven counties had an increase in arrests for sale and manufacturing in that category. ``It used to be a drug seen just in Baltimore City but it's showing up in suburban counties,'' said Erin Artigiani, coordinator of CESAR's Drug Early Warning System. ``It's not just a city drug anymore.'' More users are taking heroin by sniffing it instead of injecting it with needles that put them at risk for contracting AIDS, authorities said. But the drug is dangerous no matter how it is used and causes irregular blood pressure, a slow heart rate and sedation that could lead to a coma, Artigiani said. One reason for heroin's increased popularity is that it has become more powerful in the past 10 years, according to the Drug Policy Foundation in Washington, D.C. But there is no concrete explanation for the spread of heroin; the numbers ``rise and fall depending on the year.'' Perceptions have little to do with why people turn to drugs, said Terry D. Blumenthal, psychology professor at Wake Forest University. He said drugs look like a better option to people who lack reinforcers, or things that make them feel good. During the Vietnam War, many American soldiers were addicted to heroin when they were overseas, but they were able to quit entirely when they returned home, he said. ``It's partly because they had other things they could use as reinforcers, like family and friends,'' Blumenthal said. ``If we could provide those people with other things, they may be less likely to use drugs.'' Published: November 26, 1999Copyright © 1994-1999 The Journal Newspapers Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by julman on February 06, 2002 at 12:06:19 PT: Thanks for trying, but I still need a lawyer I appreaciate any comments and am Thankful .As you know ,I need a lawyer in Toronto , Canada .Thanks Again [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on February 05, 2002 at 18:31:45 PT julman I'm sorry but I am from the States and I have no idea. Maybe someone else would know. Good Luck to you. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by julmanjulman1 on February 05, 2002 at 18:06:02 PT: Need a good Marijuana lawyer in Toronto,Canada ??? I am looking for a lawyer in Toronto , Mississauga ,Ontario , Canada , that deals with Marijuana .I hope someone could give me a referal, or knows a good lawyer for this type of matter. I am disabled and need it medically , but the police didn't agree !!!I would be very appreceative for any names or numbers , THANK YOU VERY MUCH [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by julman on February 05, 2002 at 17:57:03 PT: Any one know a great Marijuana Lawyer in Toronto, I am looking for a lawyer in Toronto , Mississauga ,Ontario , Canada , that deals with Marijuana .I hope someone could give me a referal, or knows a good lawyer for this type of matter. I am disabled and need it medically , but the police didn't agree !!!I would be very appreceative for any names or numbers , Thank You [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Jessica Monique on May 07, 2001 at 14:52:31 PT: My Opinion I feel that drugs aren't good but they aren't always bad. I started doing drugs when I was in the 6th grade, because I was curious and also it was there and free. Even more it seemed to take my pain away and made me feel loved. Sometimes drugs seem like just the key to use when things aren't always going the way things should be going in life. After a few years I just let the drugs take control over my life, and hit rock bottom, dropped out of school, and didn't care about anybody but my glass pipe. Before I relized what I was doing, it took for me to lose family members and a whole lot of preventable stress on the one person that didn't deserve it, my mom. I started treating my mom as if she was a nobody when really she was the only person that even cared. It hurt me to see her crying day after day and night after night, because her baby girl had a drug addiction problem. Meth today has alot of affect on young teenagers, especially the ones that feel lonely and lost in the world. One day I would like to become a drug councelor to help out my fellow mates because we are tomorrows future and without us there will be no future. I'm tired of seeing teen mothers lose there kids because of this problem, seeing them hurt themselves and I know because like I said I've been there... I've hit rock bottom. All I can do now is stand on my toes and stand tall. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on November 27, 1999 at 16:42:03 PT Good Point Wabo I have a niece who didn't drink but now does and heavily because of drug testing and how long marijuana shows up. It sure is a reason for people to think hard drugs are ok when you can't smoke and come up clean for a long time after a person isn't high on pot anymore. Alcohol is only 8 hours, I think!Peace, FoM! [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Wabo on November 27, 1999 at 13:36:34 PT Just a thought Could it be that metabolites of drugs like heroin and cocaine are flushed by the body faster than MJ and don't show up in random drug tests as often. Ironic if true. It would also be very sad if it turned out that MJ prohabition had turned many who would be harmless stoners into junkies. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on November 26, 1999 at 09:17:31 PT Heroin Addiction Hi Scott,Just a little note on Heroin addiction from my point of view. I have someone who is very close to me that was addicted to Heroin in Vietnam. He hasn't used any Heroin, nor wanted too, since he detoxed back in the early seventies. I was what you call a drug addict but it was induced by legal prescription drugs that my Doctor prescribed for an injury and developed into an addiction when the injury was finally healed. I had to detox and almost died because of multiple seizures but I made it and haven't even been to a Doctor since 94. No desire to use drugs at all! It was so horrible, the experience, that I would never want to go thru it again. I feel the way I was treated was sub human and hope to see the day that we don't lock people in a room, full sensory depravation and nothing to stop the pain. People shouldn't be isolated when they are in their serious early days of coming clean. Their logic is they want you to think why you are in the situation. I was in that situation because I was addicted to prescriptions drugs. I knew why I was there!I really hope to see the day when people who are addicts are treated much more humanely. I made it even though and they told me I wouldn't.Peace, FoM [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Scott on November 26, 1999 at 08:18:55 PT: Why do so many people use heroin? >They could not say why heroin use is growing, however. >>``If I knew that answer, it would get solved,'' said Lt. >Joe Barker, a state police spokesman. I'll tell them why. Because people like it! Not to mention the fact that it is probably readily available throughout the state for everyone, including children, since there is no control and no regulation because our on-going war makes it that way. HELLO! Wake up mr. police officer, the laws are the reason why people are using it more. They are using it more because they can get it easily and it feels good.>During the Vietnam War, many American soldiers were >addicted to heroin when they were overseas, but they were >able to quit entirely when they returned home, he said. Well then these American soldiers must be different then normal Americans. If you are hooked to something like heroin, quiting can be a tough task. Saying the majority of the people quit just like that is probably a lie, since heroin is probably one of the top most addictive drugs on the market, next to crack and cigarettes. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by kaptinemo on November 26, 1999 at 08:14:10 PT And if pigs had wings they could fly Unlike many of you reading this, I am not surprised at the shallowness of the reportage evinced, here: I live in MD, and have noticed that most of our 'investigative reporting' here has a distinctly anemic quality. That is, the reporters are often quite lazy and careless in their dissemination of 'facts'. The IoM report, commissioned by MISTER McCaffrey himself and released earlier this year, has shot down in flames the old mythos surrounding MJ as a 'gateway drug'. But as usual, the cops still spout the bilge, and the reporters lap it up with nary a raised eyebrow. To paraphrase an old saying, You can lead a reporter to the truth, but you can't make him print it. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: