Cincinnati has struggled through controversies and crises many times in its history but it may be facing its most serious situation yet: heroin.

According to Tim Ingram, the Hamilton County health commissioner, heroin overdoses are at an “unprecedented” level in Cincinnati. Other health officials have stated that heroin has become a public health emergency.

Cincinnati has long been embroiled in a battle against increased heroin usage in its metropolitan area, but overdoses have reached epidemic levels in recent months.

In one week at the end of August, nearly 200 people in the Cincinnati area overdosed on heroin, with 78 overdoses occurring in one 48 hour period, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Three of those overdoses died because of it. While Cincinnati averages about four heroin overdoses per day, those numbers have skyrocketed recently.

This is largely due to batches of pure heroin being laced with carfentanil, an opioid 10,000 times stronger than morphine, according to the Washington Post. It causes stronger and extended highs because of its greater potency and therefore, it is very deadly.

Many students at Walnut Hills have even been affected in some way by heroin.

Max Smallwood, ‘19, said, “One of my family members a few years ago, he was my cousin, died from a heroin overdose.”

While heroin may seem like an issue that does not have a major impact on most students, neighbors and family members could now be more susceptible to the drug. Students may also fall victim to its addictive qualities very easily.

“If a student gets depressed enough and sees that heroin makes people feel better for a short while then they’ll definitely do it,” Smallwood said. “[But] people should really understand that heroin’s not the way out of their problems.”

Smallwood believes that Cincinnati is at crisis level for heroin usage in Cincinnati. While finding a sound solution to the problem is nearly impossible, Smallwood hopes that Cincinnati is able to.

To accomplish this he said, “Well, first I would try to find where all [these] drugs are coming from and try to close off that gateway, and help the people that have been [already been] affected.”

While this is easier said than done, it does bring up the common desire for a solution to this crisis. Cincinnati may be in danger of being even further overtaken by this epidemic and everyone should do all that is possible to stop the spread of the deadly drug that is heroin.