Heroin Addiction Statistics

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  1. Heroin Market Value$68 Billion

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Latest heroin statistics and heroin addiction facts. Information about heroin addiction and heroin addiction statistics are collected from various public information sources and news stories.

Illegal Drug Use in the European Union

in Substance Abuse

According to a 2014 report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), over 80 million people living in Europe are estimated to have used an illegal drug at some point in their lives. The number of people who have tried an illegal drug represents about a quarter of the adult population in the EU.

The most used illicit drug in Europe was marijuana, with 73.6 Million people stating that they tried it at least once in their lifetimes. In the most recent year measured (2012), the report stated that 18.1 million used marijuana. A total of 2,000 tonnes of marijuana and hashish is consumed in the EU each year.

The second most used drug in Europe was cocaine, with 14.1 million people using it in their lifetime. 3.1 million people used it in 2012. Based on analysis of raw sewage, investigators in Europe estimated that 1,800 pounds (832 Kilograms) of cocaine were consumed daily in Europe Cities.

The third most used drug in Europe was amphetamines, with 11.4 million users who used it in their lifetimes and 1.5 million users in 2012.

There were 31,000 new opioid users in Europe, with about 1.3 million problem users.

Heroin caused 6,100 overdose deaths in Europe in 2012, while cocaine overdose caused some 500 deaths.

Source:  AFP, “Prescription, synthetic drug abuse worry EU watchdog,” GlobalPost, May 27, 2014.

Seizures of Heroin in NYC in first 5 Months of 2014

in Substance Abuse

In the first five months of 2014, anti-narcotics agents in New York City seized 288 pounds of heroin within the city. The heroin seized was worth about $40 to $60 Million on the black market.

In all of 2013, security agents seized a total of 175 pounds of heroin.

(How much does heroin cost per gram?)

Heroin abuse in NYC has seen a rise in recent years. In the 2014 fiscal year, Drug Enforcement Administration agents based in New York have seized about 35 percent of all heroin intercepted by the DEA. Typically, New York DEA agents are responsible for 20 percent of all heroin seizures.

(See all heroin addiction statistics.)

Source:  Christian Science Monitor, “Heroin Is Cheaper, More Pure, And More Of A Problem Than Ever Before,” Business Insider, May 21, 2014.

Amount the US Government Spends on Drug Addiction Research

in Substance Abuse

In the fiscal year 2013, the United States Federal Government spent $320 Million on drug addiction research, according to a report by the Cincinnati Enquirer. The amount of federal spending was down 20 percent when compared to the inflation adjusted amount of $402 Million in 2010.

When adjusted for inflation, the amount of federal spending for 2013 was the same as FY 2002.

According to the Association for Addiction Professionals, about 10 percent of people in the United States who are addicted to prescription drugs or are heroin addicts have received any sort of treatment.

Source:  Carrie Blackmore Smith and Terry DeMio, “No way out: Heroin addicts trapped in deadly maze,” Cincinnati Enquirer, May 19, 2014.

Crystal Meth In Iran

in Substance Abuse

A teenager who sells crystal meth in Tehran, Iran, told the media that he sells a gram of crystal meth for about $5. Buyers of meth in Iran include many students and middle-class workers. According to the dealer, meth is more expensive than heroin in Iran, and many young people in Iran see crystal meth as “a luxury drug.” Many women have started to take crystal meth in order to lose weight and state that the methamphetamine pills are “cheaper than liposuction.”

(How much does meth cost?)

Government security agents in Iran reported seizing 3,500 kilograms of crystal meth in Iran in 2013, along with discovering 375 meth labs.

Security services in Iran spend up to $1 Billion a year combating drug trafficking along the border with Afghanistan. 80 percent of the executions conducted by the Iranian government are on charges related to drug trafficking.

From the time of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 to 2014, nearly 4,000 security personnel have been killed while conducting anti-narcotics operations.

(Additional crystal meth facts.)

Source:  Ramita Navai, “Breaking bad in Tehran: how Iran got a taste for crystal meth,” Guardian, May 13, 2014.

Earnings for an Opium Grower in Egypt

in Substance Abuse, Transnational Crime

A Bedouin who lives in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt has resorted to growing opium for drug traffickers in order to make a living.

The man told the media that he previously provided camel tours to tourists. Before the uprising and revolution in Egypt in 2011, the man would see about 60 tourists each day. In the years following the revolution, the number of tourists have basically dropped to zero.

Many of the workers in the region turned to growing opium in order to make money. From 0 fields before 2011, there were around 100 fields reportedly in the area as of 2014. Each new growing season brought in more opium fields.

(More heroin facts.)

In the planting season of 2014, the man had about 5 kilos of raw opium that he was planning on selling to drug traffickers. According to the man, drug dealers pay him a little under $1,370 (€1,000) per kilo. After splitting the profit with his business partner and calculating expenses such as seeds, water and labor, the farmer’s total profit from his opium field is about $826 (€600). This amount is significantly less than what he made a a tour guide.

(More earnings from illegal jobs.)

Source:  Theresa Breuer, “Egypt’s Tourism Crash Gives Way To Bustling Opium Trade,” WorldCrunch, May 8, 2014.

Drug and Alcohol Addiction in Punjab, India

in Substance Abuse

Roughly 40 percent of those between the ages of 15 to 25 years old in Indian state of Punjab is addicted to some form of narcotics, whether it be heroin addiction or alcohol addiction. 48 percent of the farmers and laborers in the state are also considered to be addicts.

In the neighborhood of Amritsar, thousands of  men have died while in their 20s to 30s due to complications related to their drug addiction. In one school, about 70 percent of the students have lost one parent to drug addiction.

During election season, political parties in India hand out bottles of liquor and heroin to voters in an attempt to get them to vote for their candidates. In the two months of campaigning leading up to the April 20, 2014 voting day, nearly 700,000 liters of alcohol, 150 kilograms of heroin, and 30 tons of opium poppy husk was seized in Punjab. The election commission was receiving up to 60 calls each day of parties illegally handing out items during the campaign season.

(More crime in India statistics.)

Source:  Adi Narayan, “Wives Revolt as India Election Booze Leaves Trail of Widows,” Bloomberg, May 12, 2014.

Drugs Seizures in Iran in 2013

in Substance Abuse

Criminal justice agencies in Iran have reported that 570 tons of illegal drugs were seized across the country during the Iranian fiscal year, which fan from March 21,2013 to March 20, 2014. The types of illicit drugs confiscated included opium, heroin, morphine, and hashish. Over 70 percent of the seized narcotics were opium.

According to security forces, over 70 percent of the drugs that were seized took place on the country’s eastern borders, which lies next to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Afghanistan supplies over 90 percent of the world’s opium supply, and the trafficking of opium is estimated to contribute up to 15 percent of Afghanistan’s GDP.

(What is the price of heroin around the world?)

Source:  “Iranian Official: 70% of Illicit Drugs Confiscated along Eastern Borders,” Tasnim News Agency, April 14, 2014.

More Heroin from Mexico Entering United States

in Substance Abuse

In early 2014, federal security administrators reported that more heroin grown and produced in Mexico was entering the United States. Officials stated that this was occurring due to the decrease in marijuana that was being sold by Mexican traffickers.

Based on intelligence and media interviews, the wholesale price of marijuana sold in Mexico has dropped within the past 5 years. In 2009, a farmer growing marijuana in Mexico was able to receive up to $100 per kilogram of wholesale marijuana. By 2014, the wholesale price of marijuana dropped to less than $25. Farmers state that the push towards marijuana legalization has contributed to the downfall as more people buy higher-quality marijuana that was grown in the United States.

As the price of marijuana decreased, Mexican drug cartel have begun looking for new revenue streams. It appears as if they have found a replacement in heroin.

With reports from criminal justice programs stating that heroin abuse increased by 79 percent in the US between 2007 and 2012, Mexican cartels are increasing their supply in order to meet demand. Back in 2007, border security agents seized 367 kilograms of heroin that was being smuggled into the United States from Mexico. In 2013, security agents seized 2,162 kilograms.

A contributing factor to the high heroin abuse rates in the US is driven by prescription drugs abuse. With heroin being cheaper than prescription drugs, many users are continually switching to heroin due to its cheaper cost. For example, a prescription drug sold on the black market in can be sold for up to $80, with the effect of the pill wearing off after 4 to 6 hours. A hit of heroin can be sold for as little as $4.

Farm workers in Mexico are cashing in from the increase in heroin demand. Farmers in the Northern Sierra Madre earn up to $30 to $40 per day cultivating poppies on farmland. The poppy farm is reportedly the best paid farm in Northern Mexico.

Farmers sell a kilogram of opium for $1,500. The wholesale price has doubled in 2013 from the year before. The raw opium is sold to middlemen who cook the opium into heroin. After being smuggled across the border, a kilogram in the Northern United States can be sold for $60,000 to $80,000.

(How much does heroin cost per gram?)

Source:  Nick Miroff, “Tracing the U.S. heroin surge back south of the border as Mexican cannabis output falls,” Washington Post, April 6, 2014.

Price of Heroin in the Washington DC Region

in Substance Abuse

Based on information submitted to Havocscope, the following is the reported prices of heroin when sold in the Washington DC area of the United States.

According to our reader, the basic unit of sale for heroin is through increments of a tenth of a gram. Thus, .1 gram is sold for $10, .2 of a gram is sold for $20. $50 will get a user .5 or half a gram, and a full gram is sold for $100.

However, due to competition amongst the areas drug dealers, the actual price of heroin sold varies depending on how good the product is and whether the dealer and the customer has a previous relationship. In terms of actual amount, a half gram can actually hold only .35 to .5, with the bag being sold for $45 to $60 depending on the quality of the heroin.

The same price variation occurs when dealing in full grams. The actual price of a gram of heroin sold in the DC region can vary between $80 to $120.

(How much does heroin cost?)

Source:  User submitted information, received on April 6, 2014.

Price of Illegal Drugs for Sale in Ireland

in Substance Abuse

According to a former heroin abuser in Ireland, the following information is the street prices of illegal drugs available for sale on the black market of Ireland.

Cocaine:  High quality cocaine sold for €100 ($138) per gram.

Ecstasy: €5 ($6.93) per tablet, or 10 ecstasy tablets for €40 ($55).

Heroin: A bag of heroin that is filled with 0.3 grams of heroin is sold for €20 ($27). The price to buy 2 grams of heroin is €100 ($138).

Marijuana: Poor quality cannabis resin is reportedly sold in 7 gram batches, which is available for purchase for €25 ($34). Marijuana weed is sold in 6 gram units, which goes for €100 ($138).

Prescription drugs: 2 milligrams Xanax bars sold for €3.50 ($4.85) for each tablet.

(See all of reported data about the black market here.)

Source:  User submitted data, received on April 1, 2014.