The Heroin Crisis Among US Forces in Southeast Asia

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Abstract
Heroin abuse among US soldiers in Southeast Asia has many features common to an epidemic: a specific population at risk, a unique setting in which spread occurred, and a single offending agent. An epidemiologic approach reveals features that distinguish heroin addiction in this setting from patterns observed in the United States. The medical impact in terms of morbidity has not been fully assessed. A controversy persists whether heroin use in Southeast Asia is a low-risk exposure confined to a special environment or carries a major threat for continued hard-drug use. The opportunity to evaluate in depth a sample of patients in a direct combat support area forms the basis of this report. Potential morbidity in many cases seems high.

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