DEA official: 'I've never seen' heroin use this bad

Heroin deaths are spiking in the U.S., concerning lawmakers who proclaim it an epidemic and public health issue.

Between 2012-13, the number of U.S. drug overdose deaths resulting from heroin spiked from 5,900 to 8,200, said Michael Botticelli, director of the White House Office of National Drug Policy Center.

"I've been with [the] DEA almost 30 years, and I have to tell you, I've never seen it this bad," Jack Riley, acting deputy administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said at a House judiciary subcommittee hearing Tuesday.

He offered more grim statistics. He told lawmakers that of the 120 drug overdose deaths seen per day in the U.S., more than half are from heroin and prescription painkillers.

Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com