Rising Heroin Fatalities in Miami-Dade – Miami Criminal Lawyer
Florida continues its battle with heroin addiction and fatalities are on the rise. In Miami-Dade County, there have been 236 heroin overdoses recorded in 2015. One county in Florida reported that in 2014 there was a massive 40% spike in fatalities that involved heroin. In that one region, there were 36 additional deaths from overdose.
Nearly every county in Florida is reporting increases, particularly in the central and southern regions, with the fatality rate in those areas higher than it has been since the 1970’s.
But the abuse of heroin, and it’s oftentimes precursor Opioids, starts quite often with actual pain. Right now, more than 100 million Americans are being treated for chronic pain and this pain can make life unbearable for some people.
Often, these legitimate pain patients will seek help from their doctors in the form of pain medication. If their doctor prescribes opioids, they can become dependent upon it. That’s why so much of an effort is being undertaken at the moment to find new ways of treating chronic pain.
The problem is, many of these pain patients ends up transitioning from their opioids to heroin. There are several reasons why this can happen. Many patients end up being referred to pain clinics by their doctors, who do not want to take a risk with prescribing opioids. Pain clinics often have very stringent rules and can cut a patient off for missing their appointment or for not having enough of their prescription painkiller in their system on their monthly office visit.
But heroin is readily available at just about any seedy bar or spot in Miami and it’s a lot cheaper too. Prescription opioids can cost patients who don’t have insurance hundreds of dollars. But a bag of heroin goes for about $10 on the street and it is immediately available. For those who have been accused of possession or purchase of heroin, a Miami criminal lawyer is vital.
In fact, government crackdowns on doctors and pharmacies and new regulations that are intended to make it as difficult as possible for patients to get opioids are definitely contributing to the heroin overdose problem.
If you have turned to heroin due to a chronic pain problem and were cut off from opioids, a Miami criminal defense attorney may be able to help you. A Miami criminal lawyer may be able to present your case so that the judge or jury looks at your crime with more leniency and sympathy and a criminal lawyer in Miami can ensure that your rights are not violated as well. Contact a criminal defense firm in Miami to find out more.
Stroleny Law: Criminal Defense Attorney handles a variety of criminal law cases, so call now if you have any questions, (305) 615-1285.
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