Opioid Use in Wisconsin: Heroin and Prescription Painkillers A Growing Concern
Arrested for Opioids in Wisconsin? What should you do?
Opioid addiction and abuse has emerged as one of the great health crises of our time. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, opioids were responsible for 827 deaths in the state in 2016–more than the death toll from car accidents. They are powerful and addictive, and can create problems through overdoses, addiction, and impairment. If you or a loved one is struggling with opioid addiction, you should seek help from one of the many resources working to assist those in need.
What Are Opioids?
When you think of opioids, heroin likely comes in top of mind. Indeed, some people refer almost interchangeably to the heroin epidemic and the opioid epidemic. But many other forms of opioids exist, and many are legal as prescription medicine including:
- Oxycodone
- Hydrocodone
- Fentanyl
- Codeine
- Methadone
Doctors often prescribe these drugs as pain relievers. Unfortunately, their strength helps make them both addictive and dangerous to many who take them. It is illegal to take these drugs without an active prescription.
Legal Ramifications of Opioid Addiction
Opioids are considered controlled substances under Wisconsin law, due to their effects on users and addictive nature. And unfortunately, their use has only grown over the last decade. Whether people get hooked on opioids that have been prescribed or borrow or buy them from someone else, the addiction can take a great deal of effort to overcome.
Because of this classification, you can be arrested for illegal possession of opioids. If you drive while taking them, you are also subject to fines, arrest, and license suspension for driving under the influence. What you think of as something for your pain may well leave you facing drug charges that greatly impact your life.
If you are struggling with opioids, you should look for help from a health or counseling professional. But if you are arrested in Wisconsin for illegal possession, use, or DUI related to opioids, the legal team at Eisenberg Law Offices can help.