“Contrary to what researchers reported 50 years ago, today’s average first-time heroin user isn’t a 16-year-old male of color.
“She’s actually much more likely to be a 23-year-old white woman.
“This, researchers conclude in a study published today in JAMA Psychiatry, represents “a marked shift in the demographics of heroin users seeking treatment over the past several decades.”
“According to the study, caucasian women and men have embraced prescription pills as their drug of choice. But heroin, which is much cheaper, eventually becomes more attractive.
“This means the drug once considered a “first opioid of abuse” is now more widely viewed as a last resort — and a popular one at that.”
– TheVerge
