Heroin use skyrockets in the West: data
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Heroin use among people who also use fentanyl appears to have seen a "dramatic" rise in the span of just a few months, particularly in the western U.S., according to new data from specialty lab Millennium Health provided first to Axios.
Why it matters: The data suggests a rapid reversal in drug use trends and reflects a shift amid reports that fentanyl is currently in short supply in the U.S., said Eric Dawson, Millenium's vice president of clinical affairs.
- "Not only was it a significant jump in heroin positivity, it seemingly happened almost overnight," Dawson told Axios.
What they found: Between January and June of 2024, heroin was detected in about 10% of people using fentanyl in the western part of the U.S., according to drug testing data.
- Between July and November of 2024, it increased to 23% in the region.
- In five states, there were statistically significant increases, including Arizona (389%), Colorado (264%), Oregon (160%), Alaska (102%) and Washington (80%), between the first and second half of 2024. The overall increase in the region during that time was 123%.
Flashback: Earlier this year, sources of fentanyl appeared to be drying up in some parts of the country, NPR reported. Other reports have suggested the potency of fentanyl supplies are getting "weaker."
Between the lines: That suggests fentanyl suppliers or those using the drug could be using heroin to stretch the opioid supply.
- "The fact that it's so consistent throughout much of the West, that suggests that it is a supply-side phenomenon, that the drug-trafficking organizations have made a decision to increase the amount of heroin in the fentanyl supply," Dawson said.
- That could mean it's likely happening high up or early in the distribution chain, and perhaps even before the drug comes into the U.S., he said.
