Commissioner's response: Prescription opiate and heroin abuse a top priority

Addiction to heroin and other opiates is on the rise nationwide, and Minnesota is no exception. The percentage of those being admitted for treatment rapidly has escalated in our state during the past five years, and the toll on our communities is stark. Heroin arrests, for example, doubled from 2010 to 2011.

By: Lucinda Jesson, Duluth News Tribune