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In the midst of America’s heroin epidemic, a disturbing dynamic is coming to light.
Heroin users, chasing their initial high, seek dealers who can give them the most potent product. And, unfortunately, the deadlier, the better.
“We’ve talked to users whose dealers will say, ‘I got the stuff that will keep you from getting sick, and I got the stuff that will kill you,’” Virginia Assistant Attorney General Marc Birnbaum told The Washington Post. “It’s a tragic situation because, for the most part, they want the most potent dose.”
In the eyes of some hardcore heroin users, an overdose can be seen as a badge of honor for the drug dealer involved, the paper reports.