People in Nebraska who are concerned about being arrested for a suspected drug crime may themselves actually be struggling with a serious drug addiction. Despite acknowledgement among professionals that addiction is a serious problem that is extremely difficult to control or overcome, too many people continue to hold strong negative stereotypes about people who face this issue. Just how serious is heroin addiction in Nebraska?
According to the Nebraska Attorney General, six people died in the state in 2014 from an overdose of heroin. However, in order to fully understand the potential risk that heroin addiction poses, it is important to understand what can lead people to be addicted to heroin. Statistics show that addictions to other substances can dramatically increase the chance that a person will end up becoming addicted to heroin. Among alcohol, pot, cocaine and prescription opioids, it is the latter group of drugs that increases the risk most significantly. A person with an opioid dependence may be 40 times more likely to develop a heroin dependence.
In 2014, overdoses associated with opioids were involved in approximately four times more deaths than were overdoses involving methamphetamine or other stimulant. In the first seven months of 2015 alone, 54 out of the 85 statewide overdose deaths were attributed to opioids. Clearly, concerns about heroin addiction should then also focus on problems associated with opioid addiction.
This information is not intended to provide legal advice but is instead meant to give Nebraska residents an overview of the problems associated with addiction to heroin and other drugs and how that may contribute to drug crimes.