Heroin Is Happening Now

TRT: 1:55

[ANCHOR LEDE] “SUBSTANCE ABUSE IS AN ISSUE FACED BY MILLIONS OF AMERICANS EVERY DAY. HERE IN IOWA ALCOHOL REMAINS THE MOST ABUSED SUBSTANCE, BUT ONE DRUG IS BEING USED AT ALARMING RATES. DAILY IOWAN TV REPORTER ANDREW ROBERTS TAKES A LOOK INTO IOWA’S DRUG EPIDEMIC.”

 

“WHETHER ITS BINGE DRINKING… PERSCRIPTION PILLS OR MARIJUANA… MILLIONS OF AMERICANS CHOSE TO DO DRUGS EVERY DAY. BUT IOWA HAS A DIFFERENT DRUG THAT IS SPREADING RAPIDLY ACROSS ITS STREETS AND THE REASON FOR ITS GROWTH MAY SHOCK YOU.

 

[STANDUP] “HEROIN… A DRUG WHOSE USAGE IS GROWING ACROSS THE UNITED STATES RAPIDLY AND ESPECIALLY HERE IN IOWA. WITH THE NEWEST STATE LEGISTLATURE’S PASSING OF THE DRUG NARCAN, ONE UI PROFESSOR THINKS HEROIN USAGE AND OVERDOSE IS SET TO SKYROCKET”

 

“UI PROFESSOR RON MCMULLEN SERVED AS A U.S. AMBASSADOR WORKING WITH FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS TO SLOW THE SHIPMENT OF NARCOTICS INTO THE STATES. ON WEDNESDAY HE ADDRESSED THE IOWA CITY FOREIGN RELATIONS COUNCIL ON HOW HIS FOCUS HAS SWITCHED TO FIGHTING THE PROBLEM WITHIN OUR OWN BORDERS.

 

[RON MCMULLEN] “HEROIN PROBLEMS ARE COMING OUR WAY ARE IN FACT ARE HERE AND ITS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE OPIOD PRESCRIPTIONS NUMBERS AND ABUSE.”

 

“MCMULLEN SAYS PRESCRIPTION MEDS AND OPIOD USE IS THE FAST GROWING FORM OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN IOWA ONE THAT ULTIMATELY WILL LEAD TO THE USE OF HEROIN.”

 

“A 2013 U.S. STUDY SAYS THERE WERE 11,000 HEROIN DEATHS. IOWA LAWMAKERS HAVE TRIED TO REDUCE THAT NUMBER BY ALLOWING THE USE OF THE DRUG NARCAN, A HEROIN ANTAGONIST THAT CAN REVIVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE FLATLINED. MCMULLEN BELIEVES OTHER STATES SHOULD FOLLOW IOWA’S LEAD.

 

[RON MCMULLEN] “I’M NOT QUITE SURE WHY IS HAS NOT BEEN MORE WIDELY AVAILABLE.”

 

[STANDUP] “NOW MCMULLEN DID LIST A FEW FACTORS THAT MIGHT HELP SLOW THIS HEROIN OUTBREAK BUT HE SAID THIS IS ONE OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS FACING THE UNITED STATES RIGHT NOW AND IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. REPORTING FROM CONGRESSIONAL CHURCH IN IOWA CITY… ANDREW ROBERTS…. DAILY IOWAN TV.”