Two Florida counties are testing a program to treat incarcerated heroin users.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that Duval and Orange counties are testing the project that links jail inmates to addiction counseling, treatment after release from jail and therapy that includes a monthly injection of a drug that blocks the euphoric effects of heroin.
Orange County Chief of Corrections Cornita Riley says the drug is effective up to 30 days but costs as much as $1,000 a shot.
According to the Sentinel, Orange County is paying for the project with state funding. In Orange County, 144 jail inmates volunteered for the program.
The Orange County Heroin Task Force recommended the program for the jail. Last year, the county had the state's highest number of deaths caused by heroin.
