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Heroin use in Canada is on the rise, with law enforcement officials finding more of the drug each week and medical professionals seeing higher cases of overdoses and medical conditions caused by long term heroin abuse. This trend is also being seen in the United States as well. The reasons for the rise in heroin use in North America is not fully known, although the increase in prescription pain medications does play a part. Many who take pain medications end up with a dependence or even addiction on these drugs, and when physicians will no longer prescribe narcotic pain drugs then the individual may turn to the street and obtain heroin instead. This illegal substance does not require a physician or a prescription, and it can easily be found in many areas and provinces in Canada.

In the past heroin use was typically seen in larger cities, but now heroin use has spread to even remote area in some cases. This drug is highly addictive and very destructive, and a prescription pain medication problem is not always the cause of heroin abuse. Some individuals started using because of peer pressure, others may have tried it once or twice and developed a heroin addiction quickly. Injecting heroin makes a drug that is already addictive even more so, and the injection site can become infected or cause an abscess. Overdoses are not the only medical issues that heroin abuse can cause. Over time the body starts to break down because of the drug abuse, and good health is not possible. Without effective substance abuse treatment the cycle of destruction that heroin causes will continue.