Drug being purchased for $20 a bundle
SAGINAW -- Police in Saginaw are trying to get the word out about a resurgence in heroin use.
Investigators have been seeing a higher number of overdose cases in the city.
Saginaw resident Bobby Vann says, "Actually its been going on, its just starting to be a big thing but its been going on around here."
Some Saginaw residents are not surprised to hear about the heroin comeback.
With higher drug use, many see a rise in crime coming too.
Jimmy Martinez says, "A lot more robberies cause they're going to be yearning for that drug."
Saginaw police say they are now seeing five to six overdoses per year.
Drug counselor Linda Gilliland has seen the realities first hand.
" I see a lot of younger people coming in on heroin, on IV (intravenous) mostly," says Gilliland.
Linda's not just a counselor at a rehab facility, she's also a former heroin user.
She used for nearly twenty years.
"I finally just decided the insanity was enough and I went into a treatment program," says Gilliland.
The twenty-eight day program worked for her. She now tries to encourage junkies to get clean by pointing out all the dangers of IV drug use.
She and police think heroin is making a comeback because of its cheap price.
Junkies can buy a bundle for just twenty dollars, cheaper than other drugs like cocaine.
Still, the potency of heroin is what gets most users hooked. and once you've started it will be a battle to stop.
Also, the average user is now between the ages of 16-20.
