“I’m not sure we’ve ever heard the story of this plague told with the kind of intimacy and narrative power of HEROIN: CAPE COD.”

— Matthew Gilbert, THE BOSTON GLOBE

Heroin has come out of the shadows. Americans’ dependence on and abuse of prescription opiates set the stage for the devastating heroin epidemic that has hit the nation. Steven Okazaki’s HEROIN: CAPE COD follows the harrowing highs and lows of eight young heroin addicts in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

80% of heroin addicts started with pain medications — Vicodin, Percocet and Oxycodone — prescribed by a doctor, given to them by friends or stolen from the family medicine cabinet. 21 year-old Jessica describes recovering from a car accident and going home with a prescription for Percocets. Cassie was prescribed Vicodin for a high school soccer injury. Daniel took Oxycontin for back pain. Soon, they were addicted and wanting more. Arianna says she found “the love of my life” when she discovered opiates. Ryan describes it as “a roller coaster ride.” And Benjamin says it made him feel “wicked cool.”

As the legalization of marijuana pushed illegal profits down and the demand for opiate up, drug cartels increased opium production to supply cheap and potent heroin to new markets. In communities like Cape Cod, minors can access heroin easier than alcohol. Several of the film’s subjects started on opiates at 13 or 14, vulnerable, looking for a new high and a way to block out painful emotions.

“Eight kids on his soccer team ended up addicted to heroin,” says a mother from a parents' support group. “Good kids from good families.” Intimate and unvarnished, the film explores the young addicts’ perilous existence and their parents’ anguish.

HEROIN: CAPE COD follows the downward spirals of the young addicts — hustling to get money; texting their dealers; running up and down the Cape; shooting up in the bedroom as mom watches TV downstairs; in and out of detox; trying to have relationships, getting up everyday to the same vicious cycle.

Marissa, the film’s 23 year-old muse who guides us through the calamities of the addict's life, wants respect and understanding. She reminds us that, “I could be your daughter.”

Produced for HBO DOCUMENTARY FILMS

Produced, Directed & Edited by STEVEN OKAZAKI

2015 / Documentary / 75 Minutes

Broadcast on HBO on December 28, 2015. One of HBO's highest-rated and most talked about documentaries of the year. — Broadcast on **HBO** on **December 28, 2015**. One of HBO's highest-rated and most talked about documentaries of the year.