An increase in the use of the illegal drug, heroin, is beginning to show in Kansas.

Assistant Geary County Attorney Tony Cruz said the number of heroin overdoses increased dramatically in Colorado between 2011 and 2016. “We’re slowly starting to see heroin here in Kansas.” Cruz also noted, “Kansas City is starting to see it, we’re slowly starting to see it here in Geary County as far as heroin being possessed. We haven’t had any overdoses, thank goodness.”

Cruz noted there has also been an increase in methamphetamine in recent years. He explained one reason for the meth use increase has been the fact that several states have decriminalized or legalized marijuana to a certain extent. Organizations who made money selling black market marijuana had to diversify and now a lot of the drug cartels are manufacturing a lot of methamphetamine.