Wolz 1

Mike

Wolz

Mr.

Hackney

Rhetoric

101

8 October 2014
The Rising Heroin Epidemic
Heroin use and sale has become a major issue in the United States, claiming lives every
day and increasing national crime rates tremendously. One location where it is worse than
anywhere else is Vermont, a small state on the east coast. An article from the April 10th issue of
Rolling Stone, The New Face of Heroin, by David Amsden, sheds light on the rising heroin
epidemic. The article takes a close look into the life of an addict, successfully displaying how
heroin took her seemingly ordinary life and turned it upside down, sparking an addiction that
would last a long time. In David Amsdens article, The New Face of Heroin, statistics as well
as pathos are used in order to prove that heroin has become a huge epidemic throughout the
United States.
Statistics, such as when Amsden states that 80 percent of inmates in the state of
Vermont are addicted to heroin or in prison because they are addicted, clearly reveals that the
heroin epidemic is making a dramatic impact in the United States, specifically Vermont. This is a
shocking statistic because Vermont is the second smallest state in the country in terms of
population. Amsden writes, ...[C]lose to 80 percent of the state's inmates are either addicted or
in prison because of their addiction.. Using the 80 percent and applying it to outside research
on the Vermont department of corrections, 1600 of 2000 inmates incarcerated in 2013 have a

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heroin problem. This statistic is a valid representation of the heroin issue Vermont is currently
facing.
In the past year alone (2012-2013), the number of heroin related deaths due to overdose
in Vermont has doubled. Peter Shumlin, Vermonts governor, claims, Since 2000, Vermont
has seen an eightfold increase in those seeking treatment for opiate use, with an almost 40
percent spike in the past year for heroin alone, and every day hundreds are languishing on
waiting lists for understaffed clinics (qtd. in Amsden). These two statistics go hand in hand in
proving that the heroin problem is only growing. Amsden uses these shocking statistics to prove
that Vermonts heroin issue should be dealt with efficiently and stopped. In other words, serious
action needs to be taken in order to halt the further growth of heroin use and sale in Vermont.
Heroin has become such a major issue in Vermont that an estimated 2 million dollars
worth is trafficked into Vermont every week. Amsden argues that organized gangs have set up
outposts all across the state, and they also use major highways to distribute heroin. At these
outposts, dealers can sell a bag of heroin that would usually cost six dollars in their home town
for 30 dollars. This is evidence that supports why heroin is such a big issue in Vermont, and the
answer is money, specifically profit. Amsden provides this statistic in order to show why the
heroin issue continues to grow in Vermont.
Pathos, such as when Amsden looks into the life of Eve Rivait, a heroin addict from
Vermont, shows a living example of the heroin epidemic. At the beginning of the article,
Amsden shows us the normal life of Eve, a young girl who worked training horses and moving
cattle herds. When Eve was 12, she started experimenting with OxyContin, an opiate derived
prescription pain medication. Her experimentation with opiates is what eventually led to her

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heroin use. Years and multiple rehab attempts later, Eve continued to struggle with sobriety.
Amsden includes this information in order to spark emotion with the readers. When something
that harsh and emotionally compelling comes into the light it makes people want to act in a way
that will benefit the issue. Furthermore, Amsden successfully includes this information about
Eve in order to provide a real example of the harsh reality and the effects of Vermonts heroin
epidemic.
Overall, the heroin epidemic is a rising issue, presenting shocking statistics and making
peoples lives take a turn for the worse. David Amsden successfully proves this in his article
The New Face of Heroin, by backing up his argument with statistics and pathos.

Works Cited
Amsden, David. The New Face of Heroin. Rolling Stone 10 Apr. 2014: n. pag. Print.

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Shumlin, Peter, Douglas A. Racine, and Andrew A. Pallito. Vermont Department of
Corrections: Facts and Figures. Vermont Department of Corrections: Facts and Figures.
N.p.: n.p., n.d. 1-206. Print.