Opioid Dependence
According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy there were 977,000 people dependent on heroin in the United States in 2000. The study also shows that an estimated 146,000 individuals used heroin for the first time in 2000. 2001 saw over 600,000 emergency room visits for drug related emergencies and Heroin accounted for 15% of all emergency department visits nationwide in the same year.