The average heroin user is white, mid-20s, and living in the suburbs or the country (via):
Our data show that the demographic composition of heroin users entering treatment has shifted over the last 50 years such that heroin use has changed from an inner-city, minority-centered problem to one that has a more widespread geographical distribution, involving primarily white men and women in their late 20s living outside of large urban areas.
The good news, in New York state at least, is that every cop will soon be carrying Narcan (naloxolone) which is incredibly effective at reversing overdose:
The success of naloxone in combatting opioid overdoses cannot be overstated. Since the fall of 2010, the police department of Quincy, Massachusetts, the first department in the nation to require its officers to carry naloxone, has used the drug 221 times and successfully reversed 211 overdoses (as of February), a success rate of over 95%. In New York’s Suffolk County, 563 lives were saved last year alone.
The money for the program comes from seized drug assets. It’s nice to see a state AG stand up and announce something drug-related that will actually help people. Savor it, because it’s pretty rare.