Tennessee is among the states reporting a rise in heroin use.
Police and health officials say the abuse of prescription painkillers remains the state’s biggest drug problem, but as prescription pain pills become more expensive and harder to get, Tennessee is seeing a resurgence of heroin use.
Michael Stanfill, of the Tennessee office of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, says pill use and heroin use go hand-in-hand. Stanfill also says Mexican cartels are targeting pill addicts with heroin that is less expensive.
Officials with the Tennessee Health Department say that from fiscal year 2011 to 2013, the number of people seeking state-funded treatment for heroin increased from 217 to 396.
