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To the growing heroin problem. nationwide heroin use has surged doubling -- more than doubling over the past ten years. our deborah feyerick is looking into it. >> the more you make the more you sell. it's more seizures, more arrests and more overdoses. one high level drug official described heroin as a monster you can't kill. it has always been lurking. the question, how did it get here? you have to go back to the 1990s when columbian drug traffickers began flooding the city with high purity, low priced heroin. instead of $100,000 a keel lilo. it went to $60,000 a kilo.

Drug laws being too severe, people going to jail for drug crimes. >> a lot of celebrities have been arguing about -- >> should have diminished sentences now. under new york laws now not the rockefeller laws, all of the drug dealers can get probation under the new laws. >> probation? >> absolutely, yeah. >> that's interesting. makes you think twice about the recent debate. thanks to paul. the death of philip seymour hoffman has raised new awareness to the growing heroin problem. for weeks, we 'been talking about this on the program. nationwide heroin use has surged doubling -- more than doubl...

Hoffman's apartment. and that night he had spoken by phone with his long-time partner and mother of his three children, mimi o'donnell. she later told authorities he sounded high. we'll be following that. i don't know. >> have you guys talked about the huge prevalence of the growing heroin problem? >> we have. >> i'm for going after the dealers like they say. a lot of people are like who gave it to him, who gave it to him. it reminds me of the michael jackson jackson where they prosecuted the doctors. a lot of people are like we have to prosecute the people who provide it. >> the government of...

Accessibility of drugs for celebrities but the fact that nobody tells them no, everybody yeses them, sometimes literally to death, and also the fact that there's no barrier to entry when it comes down to simply the dollars and cents of being able to afford to have a very high-class so to speak drug problem. >> it sounded like he was trying, from what i've read, he was at an aa meeting like january 26th. >> that was his last one. i guess about two months ago, he had started drinking again, supposed ddly was seen at local bars, drinking by himself. he went to one last aa meeting, he dropped off ...

Maybe i should stop doing this or maybe i should try to find help. >> he said he hopes that if anything positive comes out of this, maybe it can be a teaching moment. although, he did say he doesn't know there's any great lessons now that someone so important to him is gone. there will be a private service held in new york. also a memorial service later on this month. >> it does shine a very needed bright light on the heroin problem. >> you guys were talking about that yesterday. if there is anything good about this, it has started that conversation again about how important and deep this prob...