Tox on the Web: the resurgence of heroin abuse, and more

 
The death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman last week prompted a slew of articles about the related problems of prescription opioid abuse and heroin addiction. In the Washington Post, Joel Achenbach points out that despite the recent spike in deaths from heroin overdose, recent data indicated that “[p]rescription opioids are killing Americans at more than five times the rate that heroin is.” Achenbach also notes that use of heroin is increasing as individuals addicted to opioid pain relievers turn to the cheaper and more available street drug.  CBCNews reported on a similar trend in Canada (clip above). In a New York Times op-ed piece, medical toxicologist Robert S. Hoffman argues that increased access to injectable or intranasal naloxone could prevent many opiate death…