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1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, Heroin is an illegal and highly addictive drug
3		that is both the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the
4		opiates; and
5		WHEREAS, Heroin was first synthesized in 1874 from
6		morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the
7		seed pods of certain varieties of poppy plants; and
8		WHEREAS, Heroin is typically sold as a white or brownish
9		powder or as the black sticky substance known as "black tar
10		heroin"; and
11		WHEREAS, Although purer heroin is becoming more common,
12		most heroin is "cut" with other drugs or with substances such
13		as sugar, starch, and powdered milk, as well as strychnine or
14		other poisons; and
15		WHEREAS, Because heroin abusers do not know the actual
16		strength of the drug or its true contents, they are at risk of
17		overdose and death; and
18		WHEREAS, Heroin also poses special problems because of
19		transmission of HIV and other diseases that can occur from
20		sharing needles or other injection equipment, and because of

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1		the medical and social consequences of abuse, including fetal
2		effects, crime, violence, and disruptions to the family,
3		workplace, and educational environments; and
4		WHEREAS, According to "Heroin Use in Illinois: A Ten-Year
5		Multiple Indicator Analysis, 1998 to 2008", the Chicago
6		metropolitan area ranked among the worst nationally for
7		heroin-related problems, including ranking first in the number
8		of individuals admitted to the emergency room for heroin abuse
9		and first in the percentage of arrestees testing positive for
10		heroin; and
11		WHEREAS, The study also found a large increase in deaths
12		from heroin overdoses in the collar counties, including a 130%
13		increase in Lake County from 2000 to 2009, a 150% increase in
14		McHenry County in just a three-year period, a doubling of
15		heroin-related deaths in Will County in a period of just two
16		years, and a total of 78 heroin-related deaths in DuPage County
17		over a three-year period, indicating that heroin remains a
18		continuing problem in DuPage County; and
19		WHEREAS, The study also found the increase in suburban
20		heroin abuse has resulted from increased heroin use among
21		teens, including a 27% increase in suburban Cook County and a
22		46% increase in the collar counties; in 2008, over 100
23		individuals in the Chicago Metropolitan Area under the age of

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1		35 died from heroin overdose; and
2		WHEREAS, Despite efforts to combat the use of heroin,
3		DuPage County saw a record 45 confirmed heroin-related deaths
4		in 2013; and
5		WHEREAS, Heroin has become the second most common drug
6		after alcohol and the most common illegal substance for which
7		individuals enter treatment in Illinois, compared to the fourth
8		most common reason Illinoisans entered publicly-funded
9		treatment in 1998; therefore, be it
10		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
11		NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
12		urge the citizens of the State of Illinois, especially the
13		parents of Illinois youth, to become aware of the dangers
14		associated with the use of heroin and the escalating number of
15		accidental deaths due to heroin overdoses; and be it further
16		RESOLVED, That we find that comprehensive drug education
17		programs, including the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE)
18		program, serve as valuable tools in presenting the facts and
19		dangers related to heroin use to Illinois youth; and be it
20		further
21		RESOLVED, That we designate the date of November 4 in 2015

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1		and 2016 as Heroin Abuse Awareness Day in the State of
2		Illinois.