Target 13 Investigates: Inside Southern Colorado’s heroin epidemic
Heroin’s comeback in Colorado is clear and some wonder if the focus on marijuana allowed heroin to stay under the radar in Colorado communities.
Over the past few weeks we’ve seen dozens of illegal marijuana grows busted and there was no violence.
The FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force says there is a lot of violence connected to the heroin problem, which they call an epidemic.
“These are the most violent times I’ve seen in Pueblo in the 14 years I’ve been here,” FBI Special Agent James Moore told KRDO NewsChannel 13. “A lot of the old time Pueblo police officers who’ve been here for 30 years say they’ve never seen it this bad.”
Agent Moore works closely with Pueblo Police Gang Task Force Detectives Chad Jeffries and Jeremy Mathews. All agree the problem is not isolated to Pueblo.
“I think every community in this state has this problem right now,” Jeffries told us.
The task force took us to a “heroin house” where a shooting had just happened. A block from a Pueblo east side park, there was a .45 caliber shell casing on the ground in front of the home, along with a box of shotgun shells.
Stacks of garbage and three filthy couches, lined the alley next to the home. We also found several used heroin needles.
Detective Jeffries says demand picked up after the government cracked down on prescription opiates, like Oxycontin. “The amount of heroin we’re seeing on the streets has quadrupled the past couple of years,” he said. “Once that happened and it was harder to get prescription medication, heroin is the backup,” Jeffries said.
“It’s increasing the number of vehicle burglaries, home burglaries, thefts,” said Agent Moore, “just because they (heroin users) need that fix on a daily basis.”
The heroin problem is also deadly.
Since 2012, the coroner reports 94 heroin caused deaths in El Paso County. 99 alcohol caused deaths were reported in the county during the same time period. The coroner’s office says there are more deaths involving alcohol mixed with other drugs, and far more if you add in drunk driving deaths.
Pueblo’s coroner reports 36 heroin deaths since 2012. 18 for alcohol, but as in El Paso the number goes up if you include mixing drugs and alcohol and drunk driving related deaths.
There are no deaths in either county, in which marijuana is listed as the cause of death.
“You don’t hear that mentioned in work groups or city council meetings, but we’re spending a lot of time on cannabis,” said Jason Warf. Warf is executive director of the Southern Colorado Cannabis Council. He says local lawmakers should focus more attention on the heroin problem, instead of trying to ban marijuana businesses from municipalities.
“The voters, when we voted for Amendment 64 in El Paso County and across the state, did so really to decriminalize cannabis,” he said, “(Voters) didn’t want any more criminal penalties.”
Colorado Springs City Councilman Don Knight led the recent push to ban cannabis clubs in the city. He says, since heroin’s already illegal they’re spending a lot of time closing “local marijuana law loopholes.”
“The only reason Amendment 64 passed is that the pro marijuana folks who crafted that language put in the clause that municipalities could opt out,” and Knight says Colorado Springs is choosing to opt out. “We’re not having grey areas with heroin that we are with marijuana and that’s why our focus is there (on marijuana).”
Back on the streets, agents and officers tackling the growing heroin problem say law enforcement can’t fix it alone.
“We need to come together as a community as a police department and help these folks get help because they’re down,” said Detective Jeffries, “This is a disease.”
If you know someone who needs help with an addiction problem they can call Colorado’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Hotline 1-844-493-8255 (TALK).
