Can we talk about heroin?

Addressing the elephant in the room

Almost a year ago this week, the Mammoth Police Department issued a press release that stated “recently MONET (Mono County Narcotics Enforcement Team) has been dealing with an epidemic of adults, young and old, abusing oxycontin. This is a nationwide epidemic that has hit Mono County with a vengeance. Because oxycontin is more expensive and requires a prescription, the addicted users are turning to the less expensive heroin. Heroin is the illegal equivalent alternative to oxycontin.”

The press release went on to detail a raid by MONET officers that consisted of more than 100 used hypodermic needles, $625 in currency, 27 oxycontin pills and 6 grams of heroin.

Fast forward to just a few weeks ago, Mammoth Lakes Police Officers and Mono County Paramedics  responded to two unrelated cases of heroin overdose in Mammoth Lakes. “On Friday, April 15, a deceased 21-year-old woman was discovered in the Old Mammoth area. Evidence at the scene indicated that she had died of a heroin overdose. The following Wednesday, Kyle, a Mammoth Lakes’ man, “was arrested and booked for numerous drug charges following a search warrant served at his residence where heroin and other drugs, cash, and drug paraphernalia were seized.”

On April 21, MLPD and Paramedics arrived at the Mammoth Mountain Inn “where a 22 year old female from Southern California was found unconscious. She was revived by Paramedics and transported to Mammoth Hospital. The investigation revealed that she is a heroin user and had recently ingested heroin.”

These are only a handful of the many heroin stories that exist in Mammoth Lakes. Remember, only a year ago the MLPD called the issue of heroin and prescription drugs an “epidemic.” But over the past year nothing has really changed. If you believe that since there’s only been a couple of heroin busts in the past year, therefore there mustn’t be a problem, you are sadly mistaken.

Last Tuesday Lt. Robert Weber of the Mono County Sheriff’s Dept. told the Sheet, “You could say the prescription drug problem is worse than the heroin problem. That’s why we’re seeing the comeback of heroin.”

The problem doesn’t lay squarely on the shoulders of law enforcement, or county health officials. “On average we get about 20 calls every fall with the influx of new Mountain employees who are looking for help with treatment,” said Mono County Alcohol and Drug Administrative Service Supervisor, Shirley Martin. “We offer outpatient and group counseling sessions, but we don’t offer any type of treatment for physical addiction. It’s a shame. Even local pharmacies don’t carry methadone. You just have to sweat it out.”

The recent overdoses have left Mammoth locals wondering, how could this happen in such a small mountain town? Who’s to blame? Why are people using heroin?

For answers, we turned to two Mammoth locals who both at one point in time were heroin dealers and users. Both persons wished to remain anonymous and are referred to as person A and person B.

 

What do you think is the most influential “gateway” drug?

A: Alcohol and prescription drugs.

B: Yeah, when you’re drunk your judgment is so impaired that I think you’re more likely to be like ‘yeah, sure I’ll try that.’

A: If you smoke weed, you’re not like, ‘Ah man, I’m gonna smoke some heroin.’ It’s ridiculous to think that.

 

So how does someone actually get into heroin?

A: Prescription pills.

B: When a pain reliever like vicodin stops getting them high, then they move on to percocet. Then to oxycontin. When that gets too expensive, they move onto heroin. Mostly because [heroin] is ten times cheaper.

A: As people get into it they start buying it not to get high but to just not feel sick. You start feeling like you need it just so you can function through the day.

B; That’s when it becomes a real addiction. You can’t function without it. It’s not like weed or anything where you can just do it and have a mental addiction. It becomes physical.

A: Also, one oxycontin will cost you about $80 for an 80 milligram pill and it will only last you a couple of hours. It gets expensive.

B: That’s why people switch to heroin. $20 worth will last you all day.

Besides marijuana, what drugs are most prevalent in Mammoth?

B: Last year it was definitely 80 mg oxycontin

A: Which is basically a synthetic form of heroin.

A: This year, everyone’s on xanax. I’ve seen so many kids on that sh*t this year. I can’t believe it. Like who the hell wants to take that? It makes you pass out.

B: It’s an anti-anxiety pill, but it gets you high. It makes you not give a sh*t abut anything and get all droopy faced. I wouldn’t say it’s a path to heroin but I guess it’s a way of getting you into prescription drugs. You could easily switch over. Listen, one thing I can say about this town, is look how many people get hurt snowboarding and skiing, etc. And what do they get prescribed – percocet, vicodin. That’s what got me into prescription pills. I got injured snowboarding and I started getting used to the pills. I liked ‘em. Your friend has a few so you start buying a couple and then it builds from there. It’s a slow process that creeps up on you.

Tell me how heroin gets here?

B: From down south.

A: There’s so many kids from all over in this town it’s kind of hard to tell exactly where it comes from. You can pretty much get it from anywhere.

A: I think a lot of people come up here to escape some problems they may have had back home and they end up bringing their problems with them. I’ve heard from so many people that were like, ‘yeah I moved up here to get away from my douche bag friends,” and then they just fall back into the same sh*t…

B: Typically dragging their friends [in Mammoth] down with them.

Are people making a lot money selling prescription pills and heroin in Mammoth?

B: People are bringing oxys and heroin up here to make money. If you go down south you can buy a ton of heroin for a third of the price, bring it up here and make bank. You know, you can by it for $10 and sell it up here for $30. It’s a huge profit margin. But mostly I’d say they’re only doing it to support their habit. They’re probably not even making that much money. They just want to get high for free. When you’re addicted, all you do is think about the next fix.

How are people using it?

B: People really aren’t injecting it that much anymore – mostly because they’ve changed the oxycontin pill. Essentially it turns into a puddy substance when you try to break it up. Also, they’re not injecting it because of health risks like hepatitis and HIV. But people are definitely snorting it, smoking it, pretty much doing anything.

A: You can even eat it. It just depends on the person and how they were brought into it. Also, I think people aren’t injecting it anymore because they can justify it to themselves by not using a needle. You know, they’ll feel like they’re not a junkie because they’re smoking it, eating it or whatever.

So what do you do if you want to quit and you live here in Mammoth?

B: Cold turkey. You’ll get really sick for a week or two…

A: And you know that heroin is the only way to fix it.

B: You’ll get cold sweats, dry heaving, body aches. Parts of your body start to hurt that you didn’t even know could hurt. You know, like your fingers will even ache. Even if you’re not trying to quit and just you do [heroin] for a few days in a row and then stop for whatever reason … you’ll get sick. You’ll get these horrible flu symptoms because you’re coming down. It’s literally like the flu. Your whole body hurts, your back hurts … you don’t want to get off the couch.

A: Your body develops a tolerance to it where you feel like you need it. Heroin, oxycontin its all the same. Even if you have a tolerance to it you still throw up afterwards. It’s not like there’s a methadone clinic up here to help you.

B: But methadone is just another drug that you can get f*d up on too.  People get addicted to that just as easy.

A: Then when they can’t get anymore methadone they’ll go back to heroin.

B: The easiest way to not do it once you’ve beat it is to stay away from anyone who might have it. If you don’t know it’s there you won’t be tempted.

Why would anyone knowingly let their friends do heroin?

A: That’s just the thing. You won’t really know. It’s such a secretive drug. You see people you know and they won’t tell you they’re doing it. They’re drug addicts and some of the best liars in the world.

B: When I was doing it last year no one knew I was doing it except the people I was using with.

A: No one knows you’re on it other than the fact your pupils get really small, almost like pinholes. Other than that you seem normal. And the people you’re doing it with aren’t going to tell you to stop because they’re right their with you.

How does someone OD?

A: If you stop for a period of time and then come back to it you can make the mistake of taking the same amount that you could handle before. But your body is not going to be able to handle it. Your heartbeat slows down.

B: Or if you’ve never done it before and you do too much – maybe because that’s how much your friends are doing.  But what happens often is people will quit for a month or two and then when they start up again they’ll try to do the same amount and … OD.

How many people do you know that have died from heroin?

A: Too many. I would say almost 10 just from oxycontin or heroin. I also know a lot more than 10 who’ve survived overdoses.

B: I only know 2 [who died].

A: Everyone you talk to is going to say the same thing. One of my friends died on heroin because he nodded out and choked on his own vomit. I had another friend that died because he had sleep apnea and forgot to wake up. He stopped breathing and suffocated in his sleep. It’s messed up. I had a friend who OD’d right in front of me while I was using. My first reaction was to check his pockets for drugs.

How long did you use heroin?

B: I only did it for about 3 or 4 months then ended up in jail.

A: I was on it for about 3 years. Then I stopped for roughly 3. Then I got back on oxys which led me back to heroin and eventually that put me in jail. But after getting out, I’ve had no desire to do that sh*t again.

What’s the worst thing about heroin?

B: Coming off of it. There’s no other drug I’ve done that made me sick like that.

A: It’s horrible. It literally changes you into a different person. It’s not a very social drug. It turns you into a dick. When you’re deep into it you start getting annoyed by every little thing your friends do. You become super irritable. You yell at everybody. Basically, you lose your friends in every way.