Heroin a growing problem for southeastern Idaho

It was known as an inner city drug, but now heroin is making its way across the country– southeast Idaho isn’t an exception.

When asked about Pocatello’s heroin problem, substance abuse counselor Gregory Kane said, “For the last two years it has increased by an incredible amount.”

Kane, the clinical director at Road to Recovery, has seen a growing trend with his clients: pain medication.

“Once you become addicted to one drug, you’re open to being addicted to another drug,” he said. “Close to 50 percent of the people that I deal with started with injuries and they needed pain medication.”

The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office said the area’s heroin problem is due to the street price for pain medications going up. Heroin became the alternative since it’s cheaper, easier to get and gives a similar high.

Kane said using drugs like heroin takes you down a slippery slope, a slope that’s hard to recover from.

“(Addicts) do anything possible to keep the addiction going and that takes money,” said Kain. “That leads to criminal behavior, families being broken up, neglect and all kinds of other issues.”

Other substance abuse counselors in the area say heroin addictions also start with people stealing family medications. Once they can’t be refilled, they turn to other alternatives.

The Idaho CareLine is a free statewide community information and referral service provided by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Anyone dealing with drug abuse problems can call the Idaho CareLine at 211 or 1-800-926-2588 for help.