New Report on Heroin Use in Colorado

Today the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) and several partner agencies released a new report on heroin use in Colorado.  Heroin in Colorado:  Preliminary Assessment is the product of the Heroin Response Work Group, which includes the Colorado Department of Human Services, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, the Governor’s Office, and other partners in addition to CDPHE.  The need for the report comes from a recent spike in heroin use and overdoses in Colorado, according to CDPHE’s press release.

While this report is, according to CDPHE, the first ever State of Colorado report specific to heroin, we do have in our library other reports on drug use in Colorado that can provide additional statistics on heroin and overall drug use in the state.  These resources include

• Annual Report, Colorado Substance Abuse Trend and Response Task Force (2014-2017, ongoing)
• Handbook for Addiction Counselors (2015)
• Healthy Colorado:  Shaping a State of Health (2015)
• Strengthening Colorado’s Mental Health System:  Aligning and Streamlining Mental Health and Substance Abuse Commitment Statutes (2012)
• Commission on Criminal & Juvenile Justice Drug Policy Task Force Fact Sheet (2011)
• Outcomes Among Drug Court Participants (2011)
• The Effect of Drug Use, Drug Treatment Participation, and Treatment Completion on Probationer Recidivism (2009)
• The Costs and Effectiveness of Substance Use Disorder Programs in the State of Colorado (annual 2006-2016, ongoing)
• Patterns and Trends in Drug Abuse, Denver and Colorado (annual, 2002-2008)