Heroin on the Cape: HBO Documentary Explores Crisis

An HBO documentary that explores Cape Cod’s heroin crisis will air later this month.

“Heroin: Cape Cod, USA” was directed by Steven Okazaki, who won an academy award for his 1990 documentary ”Days of Waiting.”

The heroin documentary profiles eight Cape Cod residents in their 20s struggling with heroin addiction.

Last year in Massachusetts, more than 1,200 people died of heroin overdoses. The film’s producers said they conducted research that found 85 percent of crimes on Cape Cod are heroin-related.

“There are very few people I met in Massachusetts who didn’t have a connection to this crisis,” Okazaki said in a statement. “It has taken a very real, and wide toll in a way that I did not see 20 years ago. I think this documentary could have been made in many communities around New England and across the country.”

Warning: Trailer contains graphic depiction of drug use

Producers provided these descriptions of the individuals profiled in the show:

• Jessica, 21 years old, was severely injured when she was hit by a drunk driver at age 18, requiring 250 stitches to her face. Prescribed opiate pain medications, she soon became addicted to heroin, saying that when she gets high, her suicidal and depressed feelings disappear.
• Ryan, 25, who prided himself on being anti-drug as an adolescent, was prescribed pain medication after a motorcycle accident. His mother says “everything changed” when he stopped receiving medication from the doctor and started obtaining pills illegally. Living with his parents, Ryan says that if they kicked him out of the house, he would “probably be doing a lot better than I am today,” although he feels they are scared he will die if they do.
• Marissa, 22, was 14 years old when she tried her friend’s pain medication, which led to heroin addiction. While many addicts steal valuables to support their habit, Marissa said she was never the type to steal, but made money from prostitution and stripping, because she’d rather hurt herself than others. For years Marissa cheated death, thanks to Narcan, an opiate antidote that paramedics and other emergency workers can use to reverse the life-threatening effects of a heroin overdose, to which she ultimately succumbed.
• Nicole (“Colie”), 25, admits herself to a detox center, deciding to get high first, noting, “Everyone gets high before they go to detox. It’s like a freebie.” Director Okazaki catches up with Colie after she has emerged from rehab and finds glimmers of hope in this story of devastation.
• Daniel, 28, always had addictive tendencies, and started doing opiates for fun. Depressed about his life, which he finds repetitive, Daniel deals drugs to support his heroin habit, driving 160 miles to Boston every night to see his supplier.
• Arianna, 23, was 12 or 13 when she first tried marijuana and alcohol. She lived in a sober house with her two young children, and said she went to many treatment centers. Arianna stopped using heroin when she found out she was pregnant and was clean for three years, but then suffered a fatal overdose.
• Benjamin, 21, started doing heroin in high school. His family knew nothing until his brother discovered tracks on his arms after asking why he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt in the summer heat. Now living in a sober house, Benjamin has been clean for 33 days, but has “drug dreams” and thinks about getting high every day.
• Cassie, 24, was prescribed opiates after a soccer injury, which led to her heroin addiction. Her boyfriend Daniel, whom she describes as her “running partner,” is also an addict.

The documentary will air Mon., Dec. 28 at 9 p.m. It will also on HBO’s online streaming platforms.

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