Heroin increasing its reach in small towns

Increased heroin use is being attributed mainly to a surge in prescription drug abuse. People who become addicted to prescription drugs such as OxyContin, a powerful synthetic opiate, often turn to heroin as a substitute.

Heroin is cheaper and easier to get.

Police also recently were advised that Purdue, the manufacturer of OxyContin, has changed the drug’s formula, making it more difficult to grind up to smoke or snort. That could mean more addicts turning to heroin to get high, police said.

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