Spike In Heroin Use Can Be Traced To Prescription Pads

The death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has brought attention to a grim reality of drug abuse in America — most notably with the increasing use of heroin.

Hoffman was found dead in his apartment on Sunday, and New York police are investigating his death as a possible drug overdose. Hoffman struggled with drug addiction throughout his career.

This is not the first time heroin use has skyrocketed in the United States. In the 1970s and ’80s, the drug took hold in urban centers. But now officials say it is reaching the country’s heartland, flooding across the southwest border from Mexico.