Kudos to New Jersey!

[wolf]

At last, the Garden State has something to be proud of!

Jersey heroin the purest in the U.S.

TRENTON - New Jersey's heroin was found to be the purest in the nation for the second straight year, a dubious distinction that has sparked concern in the medical and law enforcement communities.

Federal Drug Enforcement Agency tests of heroin samples obtained from New Jersey streets showed 71.4 percent purity in 2002, nearly twice the national average. In the 2003 report, due out soon, New Jersey again will hold the top spot, DEA spokesman Rusty Payne told the Star-Ledger of Newark.

"You can't buy any better heroin in the world than you can buy in New Jersey," said Michael Pasterchick, special agent in charge of the Newark DEA office, which has made cracking down on dealers its top priority.

The average purity of samples taken in 2002 in Philadelphia was 66.3 percent, in New York 61.5 percent, in Baltimore 22.9 percent and in San Francisco 12.1 percent, according to the DEA.

New Jersey is the first stop in the country for many drug traffickers, which means less of the heroin sold there has been diluted with additives or resold.

Purer heroin means more overdoses, and it makes kicking the habit more difficult.

It is also pure enough to be snorted or smoked, which makes it more attractive to some.

I actually think the figures for Baltimore are quite shameful. 22.9%. Awful.

And dangerous. A Baltimore junkie visiting family for Christmas in Camden could easily die of an unintentional overdose. Hmmm. There's a thought ... perhaps we could invite them up?