Deaths caused by Heroin in Hennepin, Ramsey, and Anoka counties have almost tripled in the last year -- rising from 16 in 2010 to 46 in 2011 -- and sheriffs think they know the reason why, the Star Tribune reported.
More and more teens and young adults are getting addicted to prescription pills such as Oxycontin, and once those pills get too expensive to buy as regularly as they need, they turn to heroin, another cheaper opiate, Minnesota Public Radio reported.
Even worse, the heroin making its way around the metro area right now has been tested by police at over 90 percent purity -- making the heroin far more potent than before and far easier to accidentally overdose on, KARE 11 reported.
Authorities are not calling the heroin situation in Minneapolis an epidemic quite yet, but it is a growing trend that they say they would like to stop in its tracks, the Star Tribune reported.
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