Our speaker host was Rick Crawford, and he introduced Agent Grindeman from the Southwest Metro Drug Task Force. The presentation of slides and data showed us that heroin use in Carver County is spreading and is not limited to any socio-economic group. Opiate-related deaths have risen since abuse of prescription drugs has been controlled. We watched a YouTube video of “A Day in the Life of a Heroin Addict.” What starts as a $10 or $20 experiment to feel the narcotic’s effects often transitions to a daily addiction to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Agent Grindeman showed photos of the paraphernalia associated with heroin use, the forms of heroin, its cost, how it is sold and used, and the physical changes that occur from addiction.
