Duluth mayor asks for action against heroin abuse

Duluth Mayor Don Ness called for lawmakers to take action following a weekend where five people overdosed on heroin in the city. One of those who overdosed died.

"Unfortunately, we had a very pure batch of heroin that came into our community," Ness told Tom Crann of All Things Considered on Tuesday. "Obviously, the tragedy of lost life is devastating."

Minnesota has some of the cheapest and purest heroin in the country, according to Drug Enforcement Administration data. In Duluth, as in many parts of the state, prescription drug abuse is leading to heroin abuse, Ness said.

"We really need to rely on our legislators at both the state and federal level, understanding the connection between the prescription drug abuse that is so rampant and then how that is a transition point to the harder drugs like heroin," Ness said.

Ness said police are trying to get the word out about the dangers of this batch of heroin.