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| | HR0824 | | LRB098 17319 GRL 54534 r |
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1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of |
3 | | Representatives wish to encourage schools to educate youth on |
4 | | the dangers of heroin; and
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5 | | WHEREAS, Heroin is one of the most dangerous and addictive |
6 | | substances and its surge in use among teenagers demands |
7 | | immediate action; and
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8 | | WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control, |
9 | | deaths from drug overdose, especially from heroin, have been |
10 | | rising steadily over the past 2 decades and have become the |
11 | | leading cause of injury and death in the United States, |
12 | | especially in rural areas; and
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13 | | WHEREAS, The number of people who say they have used heroin |
14 | | in the last year has jumped 53.5% from 2002 to 2011; and
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15 | | WHEREAS, Drug overdose death rates have been rising |
16 | | steadily since 1992, with a 102% increase from 1999 to 2010 |
17 | | alone; and
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18 | | WHEREAS, Every day in the United States, 105 people die as |
19 | | a results of drug overdose; another 6,748 people are treated in |
20 | | emergency departments for the misuse or abuse of drugs; and
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| | HR0824 | - 2 - | LRB098 17319 GRL 54534 r |
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1 | | WHEREAS, According to "Heroin Use in Illinois: A Ten-year |
2 | | Multiple Indicator Analysis", the Chicago metropolitan area |
3 | | was ranked among the worst nationally for heroin-related |
4 | | problems, including ranking first in the number of individuals |
5 | | admitted to the emergency room for heroin abuse and first in |
6 | | percentage of arrests testing positive for heroin; and
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7 | | WHEREAS, The study found a large increase in deaths from |
8 | | heroin overdoses in the collar counties, including a 130% |
9 | | increase in Lake County from 2000 to 2009, a 150% increase in |
10 | | McHenry County in a 3-year period, a doubling of heroin related |
11 | | deaths in Will County in a period of 2 years, and a total of 78 |
12 | | heroin-related deaths in DuPage County over a 3-year period, |
13 | | indicating that heroin remains a problem in DuPage County; and
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14 | | WHEREAS, The study also found the increase in suburban |
15 | | heroin abuse has resulted from increased heroin use among |
16 | | teens, including a 27% increase in suburban Cook County and a |
17 | | 46% increase in the collar counties; and
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18 | | WHEREAS, In 2008, over 100 individuals in the Chicago |
19 | | Metropolitan Area under the age of 35 died from a heroin |
20 | | overdose; and
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21 | | WHEREAS, Heroin has become the second most common drug |
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| | HR0824 | - 3 - | LRB098 17319 GRL 54534 r |
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1 | | after alcohol and the most common illegal substance for which |
2 | | individuals enter treatment in Illinois, compared to the fourth |
3 | | most common reason Illinoisans entered publicly-funded |
4 | | treatment in 1998; and
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5 | | WHEREAS, Heroin abuse destroys lives and tears entire |
6 | | communities apart; therefore, be it
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7 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
8 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
9 | | we urge all schools in the State of Illinois to educate youth |
10 | | about the dangers associated with the use of heroin and the |
11 | | escalating numbers of accidental deaths due to heroin |
12 | | overdoses; and be it further
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13 | | RESOLVED, That we state the opinion that comprehensive drug |
14 | | education programs, including the Drug Abuse Resistance |
15 | | Education (DARE) program, serve as valuable tools in presenting |
16 | | the facts and dangers related to heroin use to Illinois youth; |
17 | | and be it further
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18 | | RESOLVED, That we encourage schools to especially |
19 | | encourage awareness on Illinois Heroin Abuse Awareness Day on |
20 | | November 4, 2014.
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