HR0270 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0270 LRB100 12175 MST 24567 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Heroin is an illegal and highly addictive drug that is both the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the opiates; and

WHEREAS, Heroin was first synthesized in 1874 from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pods of certain varieties of poppy plants; and

WHEREAS, Heroin is typically sold as a white or brownish powder or as the black sticky substance known as "black tar heroin"; and

WHEREAS, Although purer heroin is becoming more common, most heroin is "cut" with other drugs or with substances such as sugar, starch, and powdered milk, as well as strychnine or other poisons; and

WHEREAS, Because heroin abusers do not know the actual strength of the drug or its true contents, they are at risk of overdose and death; and

WHEREAS, Heroin also poses special problems because of transmission of HIV and other diseases that can occur from sharing needles or other injection equipment, and because of the medical and social consequences of abuse, including fetal effects, crime, violence, and disruptions to the family, workplace, and educational environments; and

WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, there are more than 1,700 Illinois citizens per year that overdose on drugs, with 42% of those overdoses directly related to heroin; and

WHEREAS, Notwithstanding the efforts to fight the heroin epidemic, Cook County alone confirmed more than 500 heroin overdose cases in 2016; and

WHEREAS, Despite efforts to combat the use of heroin, DuPage County saw a record 59 confirmed heroin-related deaths in 2013; and

WHEREAS, Heroin has become the second most common drug after alcohol and the most common illegal substance for which individuals enter treatment in Illinois, compared to the fourth most common reason Illinoisans entered publicly-funded treatment in 1998; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the citizens of the State of Illinois, especially the parents of Illinois youth, to become aware of the dangers associated with the use of heroin and the escalating number of accidental deaths due to heroin overdoses; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we find that comprehensive drug education programs, including the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, serve as valuable tools in presenting the facts and dangers related to heroin use to Illinois youth; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we designate the date of November 4 in 2017 and 2018 as Heroin Abuse Awareness Day in the State of Illinois.