Executive Director Kim Murrillo said she has seen clients, many of whom are homeless, become younger through the years and now has a few who are 12 and 13 years old. There's a reason why they're running away. Heroin often follows artistic circles, like Seattle's grunge music scene in the early '90s, when several prominent musicians died of overdoses. When Kurt Cobain, leader of the band Nivana, killed himself in 1994, his struggle with heroin put a spotlight on the city's problem. But six years later, grunge is passe and heroin still grips Seattle.
Few people can explain why.
There's more money, and more to spend. In recent years, methadone providers have watched clients not only get younger but also wealthier and more educated. They now see more clients in business suits and fancy cars. Because of heroin's intensely addictive nature, detox and treatment centers that work for other drug abusers do not work for many heroin users. Most health experts laud methadone.