| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives wish to encourage schools to educate youth on | ||||||
4 | the dangers of heroin; and
| ||||||
5 | WHEREAS, Heroin is one of the most dangerous and addictive | ||||||
6 | substances and its surge in use among teenagers demands | ||||||
7 | immediate action; and
| ||||||
8 | WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control, | ||||||
9 | deaths from drug overdose, especially from heroin, have been | ||||||
10 | rising steadily over the past 2 decades and have become the | ||||||
11 | leading cause of injury and death in the United States, | ||||||
12 | especially in rural areas; and
| ||||||
13 | WHEREAS, The number of people who say they have used heroin | ||||||
14 | in the last year has jumped 53.5% from 2002 to 2011; and
| ||||||
15 | WHEREAS, Drug overdose death rates have been rising | ||||||
16 | steadily since 1992, with a 102% increase from 1999 to 2010 | ||||||
17 | alone; and | ||||||
18 | WHEREAS, Every day in the United States, 105 people die as | ||||||
19 | a results of drug overdose; another 6,748 people are treated in | ||||||
20 | emergency departments for the misuse or abuse of drugs; and
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | WHEREAS, According to "Heroin Use in Illinois: A Ten-year | ||||||
2 | Multiple Indicator Analysis", the Chicago metropolitan area | ||||||
3 | was ranked among the worst nationally for heroin-related | ||||||
4 | problems, including ranking first in the number of individuals | ||||||
5 | admitted to the emergency room for heroin abuse and first in | ||||||
6 | percentage of arrests testing positive for heroin; and
| ||||||
7 | WHEREAS, The study found a large increase in deaths from | ||||||
8 | heroin overdoses in the collar counties, including a 130% | ||||||
9 | increase in Lake County from 2000 to 2009, a 150% increase in | ||||||
10 | McHenry County in a 3-year period, a doubling of heroin related | ||||||
11 | deaths in Will County in a period of 2 years, and a total of 78 | ||||||
12 | heroin-related deaths in DuPage County over a 3-year period, | ||||||
13 | indicating that heroin remains a problem in DuPage County; and
| ||||||
14 | WHEREAS, The study also found the increase in suburban | ||||||
15 | heroin abuse has resulted from increased heroin use among | ||||||
16 | teens, including a 27% increase in suburban Cook County and a | ||||||
17 | 46% increase in the collar counties; and | ||||||
18 | WHEREAS, In 2008, over 100 individuals in the Chicago | ||||||
19 | Metropolitan Area under the age of 35 died from a heroin | ||||||
20 | overdose; and
| ||||||
21 | WHEREAS, Heroin has become the second most common drug |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | after alcohol and the most common illegal substance for which | ||||||
2 | individuals enter treatment in Illinois, compared to the fourth | ||||||
3 | most common reason Illinoisans entered publicly-funded | ||||||
4 | treatment in 1998; and
| ||||||
5 | WHEREAS, Heroin abuse destroys lives and tears entire | ||||||
6 | communities apart; therefore, be it
| ||||||
7 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
8 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
9 | we urge all schools in the State of Illinois to educate youth | ||||||
10 | about the dangers associated with the use of heroin and the | ||||||
11 | escalating numbers of accidental deaths due to heroin | ||||||
12 | overdoses; and be it further
| ||||||
13 | RESOLVED, That we state the opinion that comprehensive drug | ||||||
14 | education programs, including the Drug Abuse Resistance | ||||||
15 | Education (DARE) program, serve as valuable tools in presenting | ||||||
16 | the facts and dangers related to heroin use to Illinois youth; | ||||||
17 | and be it further | ||||||
18 | RESOLVED, That we encourage schools to especially | ||||||
19 | encourage awareness on Illinois Heroin Abuse Awareness Day on | ||||||
20 | November 4, 2014.
|