Wadsworth High School
Newspaper II/III
1870 - 2015 Wadsworth City Schools: “Celebrating 144 years of Excellence in Education”
Volume XLI No. 1
OCTOBER 2015
The
BRUIN
Halloween: Oct. 31
625 Broad Street Wadsworth, Ohio 44281
$1.00
Heroin outbreak threatens Medina County BY OLIVIA CHANEY AND CODY SURRATT
The explosion of prescription drug abuse, including the ever popular Oxycontin and Percocet, has given way to a new epidemic: heroin. It is ravaging the least likely corners of America - such as Wadsworth, Ohio, which has just been woken up to a fullblown crisis. Although the drug has been a nemesis for the U.S. and the world, it is making an alarming appearance in Medina County. As of Oct. 2015, 32 people have
succumb to heroin overdoses in the county alone. “This crisis is taking lives, destroying families, and shattering communities,” said President Barack Obama. This is exactly what is happening in the Wadsworth community. Recently, several arrests have been made in an attempt put an end to the dangerous drug. Heroin usage is nothing new. It has been abused since the 1920’s, and heroin has been a bigger problem over the years than just
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS
As shown in the photo above, the cultivation of the poppy crop, which is the foundation of heroin, has exploded throughout Afghanistan, especially in the south.
in Medina County. The history of heroin dates all the way back to the early 1800’s. Heroin was developed by a German chemical company in 1898. Heroin was first thought to be a commercial medicine. The scientist who developed this drug was Heinrich Dreser. Dreser presented his new drug as a cough, chest and lung medicine, and the people who used this drug all believed that it helped their symptoms. What the scientists and Dreser did not know was how addictive heroin could become. As its popularity grew, so did the government’s regulations, but heroin, morphine and other opiate derivatives were unregulated and sold legally in the United States until 1920. The government began cracking down on these new drugs with certain laws and acts. One act brought into circulation was the Dangerous Drug Act, which regulated heroin, morphine and opiates. The opium plant comes from many regions in the Middle East. It is most prominent in Afghanistan and is currently the primary producer of the drug by manufacturing 70% of the world’s opium. The opium poppy
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS
Workers in Afghanistan harvest the opium poppy, which is used for many of the opiates in circulation. Afghanistan currently produces 70% of the world’s opium.
grows naturally on the Afghan hillsides and is harvested by farmers throughout the country. On the other side of the world, big cities began to find more problems with the heroin epidemic. In 1924, the deputy commissioner of the New York Police reported that 94% of all crimes were being committed by heroin addicts. By 1925, there were an estimated 200,000 heroin addicts in the United States, and the epidemic was just getting
started, keeping steam all the way to the 1950’s. Later into the 1960’s, the Vietnam War brought a resurgence of heroin use in soldiers. Statistics show that 15% of servicemen were addicted to heroin during this ten year war. Although heroin problems are nothing new, Medina County is now fighting on a new battlefield. This old drug needs to be put out of circulation. Please see Heroin, 14
How can students help eradicate the heroin epidemic?
“More people need to help them and explain to them how doing it effects not only them but their family and friends as well.” -Sydney, 9
Inside
the
Heroin epidemic hits close to home
“We need to bring the issue more “I think that we need to have more public and brought to attention. Also, rehabilitation options and places maybe we should have more meetings where people can get help.” and drug prevention assemblies.” - Zach 12 - Abbie, 11 PHOTOS BY CODY SURRATT
PHOTOS BY CODY SURRATT
Bruin:
Supreme Court limits abortion rights
Homecoming photos
“We as students need to not give in to peer pressure and help our friends and peers not to do it.” - Clay, 10
– page 3 – page 14 – page 9
INDEX PAGE
Editorial.........................................................2 News.............................................................3 Opinion......................................................4,5 Ads .......................................................6,7,11 Picture Pages .............................................8,9 Features......................................................10 Sports.................................................... 12,13 Community..............................................14,15 Entertainment..............................................16 Of the Month...............................................17 Speakout.....................................................18
*Issue 4 withdrawn on Sept. 4, 2008
The Wadsworth High School Drama Dept. is performing Drac’s Back! at The James R. McIlvaine Performing Arts Center on Oct. 28 & 29 at 7:30 and Sat. Oct. 31, at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $8.
Visit the Bruin Online at http://www.bruinonline.org