New Wave Of Heroin Claims Hoffman And Others

Heroin was supposed to be an obsolete evil, a blurry memory of a dangerous drug that dwelled in some dark recess of American culture.

But smack never really disappeared. It comes in waves, and one such swell is cresting across the nation, sparking widespread worry among government officials and driving up overdose deaths — including, it appears, that of Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Fueled by a crackdown on prescription pain killers and an abundant supply of cheap heroin that’s more potent than ever, the drug that has killed famous rock stars and everyday Americans alike is making headlines again.

“Heroin has this sort of dark allure to it that’s part of its mystique,” said Eric Schneider, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who wrote the book “Smack: Heroin in the City,” a historical account of the drug. “What I’ve heard from heroin users is that flirting with addiction is part of the allure: to sort of see how close to that edge you can get and still pull back.”