Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman's death due to an overdose of heroin on Sunday has brought up the increasing amount of deaths due to heroin and opiate overdose in the past decade, according to USA Today.
Hoffman, 46, died on the bathroom floor of his New York City apartment with a syringe in his left arm and bags of heroin scattered around the bathroom floor, USA Today reported. Investigators found more heroin and pain killers and say he is a likely victim of the new deadly mixture of heroin and fentanyl, a mix that has caused 80 deaths in the pasts two months alone.
Hoffman had been open about his drug use, which also included prescription drug abuse, USA Today reported. He was also open about his ongoing struggle with trying to be sober for decades.
Another actor, Cory Monteith, 31, from "Glee," also died earlier this month after a toxic mixture of heroin and alcohol took his life, according to USA Today.
After a decade-long abuse of painkiller drugs, heroin is making a comeback and claiming lives. Where prescription pills could cost up to $100 foro one order, a five-dose-a-day heroin habit costs less than $60, according to federal law enforcement officials, USA Today reported.
Since 2010, the number of regular heroin users moved up from 239,000 to 335,000 in 2012, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health who issued the report in December, USA Today reported.
Across the country health officials and political leaders have spoken out about the increasing use of heroin, according to USA Today.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane warned the public about bags of heroin branded as "Theraflu," "Bud Ice," and "Income Tax" last week and informed the public about the deadly mix of heroin and fentanyl which has caused 22 deaths in the state
Vermont Governor Pete Shumlin used his entire annual address to the legislature last week to speak about heroin addiction, which he said had reached crisis levels in the state, USA Today reported.
"In every corner of our state, heroin and opiate drug addictions threaten us," Shumlin told the legislature, according to USA Today. "What started as an OxyContin and prescription drug addiction problem in Vermont has now grown into a full-blown heroin crisis."
