Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Interviews With Chicago Heroin Addicts

WBBM Radio has some interviews with heroin addicts, one of whom had a younger sister who died of an overdose of heroin and fentanyl in April :

It's an American story that starts in 1980, when he came to this country. By boat. He and 20 other 9th grade boys. Escaping from Cuba.

"Fourteen guys died. Seven alive."

WBBM: Drowned?

"Sharks and drowned. Some sharks ate a few people... I was a survivor."

The man is an electrician who has been in recovery for his own heroin addiction for the last year. A podcast of his interview is available here.

Another addict reports the draw that the fentanyl-laced heroin had. In fact, the media served as an advertiser:
He followed the media reports about all the deaths from heroin laced with Fentanyl, sold on the South and West Sides. And he was impressed with the strength of the product.

WBBM: Did that make you want to go back there to buy more?

"Well, I'm not going to lie. It made me want to go back and get more. But the police started to get real heavy over there, so I had to go somewhere else. I went down toward the Extensions, which is at 37th and King Drive... after people started croaking."

He is now taking methadone provided by the Chicago Recovery Alliance.

On Thursday, the DEA will host a conference in Chicago for local law enforcement on the fentanyl and heroin problem.

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