] New Jersey has become a garden spot for the
] international drug trade.

"become" ??? Just the wording of this proves to me that most of this state in in denial..

] Marijuana is trucked in from Mexico and Canada. Cocaine
] and heroin, largely from Colombia, arrive in cargo
] containers at seaports. Ecstasy pills are smuggled from
] Europe by passengers landing at airports.
]
] The common thread, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement
] Agency, is that most drugs are distributed through
] ethnically oriented channels: local Dominican and
] Colombian organizations supplying Puerto Rican, black and
] white street gangs who then sell directly to users from
] Camden to Newark.
]
] "You've got an ethnic melting pot, which has lasted
] hundreds of years, and you've got easy access to
] important transportation routes," said Newark-based DEA
] agent Mark Moger, explaining why drugs are prevalent in
] New Jersey. "It's logical that it's easier to get heroin
] here than in Pittsburgh."
]
] Heroin, in particular, has become a significant problem
] in the Garden State, Moger said.

"become" used again... s/has become/is/g

] Sold in $10 packets and locally marketed under such
] chilling brand names as "Drop Dead," "Overdose" and "Bin
] Laden," the heroin peddled to users in Newark, Paterson,
] Camden and other cities is strong, he said.

The heroin problem in Jersey has been compltely out of control for years now. A friend of mine pointed out last night that he knew at least 30 people who have died (not OD'd, died) in the past 5 years due to heroin. Hell, one of the high schools in the area I grew up in is commonly referred to (by students, parents, teachers, and police) as "Heroin High".. Its really sad.

What really shocks me is every time I see this mentioned in the local media, its as if its a "new thing".. This state is in denial. It makes me feel sick inside.

Considering you hear so much about AIDS, lung cancer, etc.. You figure I'd know at least one or two people dead due to them. Don't hear too much about heroin other then that its "become" a problem. Maybe its because most of the people who wind up riding the horse are kids noone gives a shit about.. This problem is social, and this is a very sick corner of society.