Heroin, prescription drugs often to blame for overdose fatalities in county, state

From heroin addiction to painkiller dependency, deaths from illegal drug use is an issue in McHenry County.

As investigators probe whether drugs were involved in the recent death of a 17-year-old Crystal Lake South High School student, the tragedy has put the spotlight on a growing problem that has local authorities and other officials rethinking policies and strategies.

There were 122 drug overdose deaths in the county from 2009 to 2012, according to the McHenry County Coroners Office. Of those, 52 involved heroin, a drug that can cause a surge of euphoria and clouded thinking followed by alternately wakeful and drowsy states, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

Drug overdose deaths in McHenry County during the past four years peaked in 2009, when there were 38 total, 15 of which involved heroin. Last year, 16 of the 31 overdose deaths involved heroin.

Nationally, drug overdose deaths increased for the 11th consecutive year in 2010, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 38,329 deaths in 2010, up from 37,004 in 2009. The majority of those deaths involved addictive painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone.

Theres no typical person, ethnicity or social class affected by this, McHenry County Undersheriff Andrew Zinke said. These illegal drugs are highly addictive and affect everyone in all walks of life. They ruin families.

Crime often related to drug use

Historically, drug users on the east side of McHenry County travel to suburban Cook County, Chicago and the Waukegan area to buy illegal substances, Zinke said, while those on the countys west side typically travel to Rockford.

Generally, when we make drug arrests, they are the users or the middlemen who are picking the stuff up and bringing it back to their friends, he said. It doesnt stop the larger issue at hand.

Many of the property crimes in the county relate to drug use because users steal items to feed their habit, Zinke said.

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Heroin, prescription drugs often to blame for overdose fatalities in county, state