Why Heroin and Opioids Are Killing More People Here Than in Other States

This blip is from today's Times Union:
"ALBANY — Deaths from heroin and prescription narcotic overdoses reached record highs in New York in 2014, and rose faster over the previous decade than in most other states in the nation, a report out Thursday from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says"

Ok, here's why. First, I'm a recovering heroin and methadone addict- clean 30 years. I never took pills 30 years ago. I almost died twice, and at 28 years old, got clean. A few years back, a new law came into effect making it much harder for people to get prescription opioids from their doctors. The intention of the law was good- to prevent people from doctor-shopping. The effect of the law has made heroin and dangerous opioids like Fentanyl much more attractive. The problem is that when you are using pills like Vicodin, you can control the dose based on how many pills you take. With heroin, you just don't know how powerful it is. You're guessing and that's killing people. Another side effect of the law is people who really need the drugs are not getting them and are suffering.

Solution: let doctors be doctors and not have the state or the DEA breathing down their throats and making them fearful to prescribe and put much more money into treatment. Most insurance won't cover 28-day rehab anymore, and what they do cover is just not enough.