© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Fighting the Rise of Teen Heroin Use in St. Louis

By Julie Bierach, St. Louis Public Radio

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – In the 1980s it killed John Belushi. In the 1990s it killed actor River Phoenix. And now, a very potent form of it is killing young people...It's heroin.

Last week, a man got sentenced to life in prison for selling it, almost half pure, to teens in Kansas City suburbs. Johnson County officials have also reported a rise in teen heroin use in recent years.

On the other side of the Show-Me State in suburban St. Louis, officials say it's an epidemic there. And as St. Louis Public Radio's Julie Bierach reports, area parents, police and addiction specialists are desperately trying to get a handle on the problem.

Listen to the story here.

Find more Health Coverage on KCUR.

Follow KCUR health news on Twitter.
 

KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and award-winning podcasts.
Your donation helps keep nonprofit journalism free and available for everyone.