When school officials found heroin in a student's car, they thought they were dealing with an isolated incident. But in the past four years, six Portage Public School students have died from a heroin overdose as the result of a steadily growing drug network.

"No hard numbers are available, but officials, parents and users estimate up to 30 Portage teenagers have been part of the drug network over the past few years...Some families have found their credit cards stolen and belongings pawned by their children who were in search of money to maintain a heroin habit."

In response, Portage schools have overhauled their drug enforcement program, implementing changes that include monthly visits by drug-sniffing dogs, harsher penalties for possession of drugs, and regular substance abuse information meetings for staff and parents. Source: Kalamazoo Gazette

Labels: heroin, public_schools, trends