WYMT - Home - Headlines

Heroin becoming a bigger problem in Kentucky

BURLINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky officials agreed they had to rid their state of a pain pill abuse scourge that had reached epidemic levels. They cracked down on the prescribers, set up an electronic system to track pills and clogged up a pipeline that had roots in Florida.

As those efforts began paying off and pills weren't as easily had, law enforcement came across a surprising discovery - they busted more people for a drug that had long ago faded into the background. That drug is heroin.

Law enforcement officials in Kentucky and Ohio said the heroin, which is generally snorted or injected in powder form, is imported into the United States from Mexico and Central America. It's first going to Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, then migrating across the Ohio River into Kentucky.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.
powered by Disqus

WYMT Opinion

Do you have a weather radio in your home?

Yes
No
Poll sponsored by:

Most Commented

powered by Disqus

Enter your number for a chance to win great prizes!
Message and data rates may apply
Refuse to Lose

Text Links - WYMT

Viewer Photos

WYMT CONTACT INFO 199 Black Gold Blvd. Hazard, KY 41701 606-436-5757 - switchboard 606-439-9968 - newsroom
Gray Television, Inc. - Copyright © 2002-2013 - Designed by Gray Digital Media - Powered by Clickability
User Agent: CCBot/2.0 - 181482591