Increase in heroin deaths for Boulder County

<p>(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)</p>
<p> In this Monday, May 6, 2013 file photo, a drug addict prepares a needle to inject himself with heroin in front of a church in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles.</p>

Boulder police told the Daily Camera that four heroin overdose deaths were reported in the first two months of 2015 alone. It's part of a larger spike in heroin overdose deaths across the county.

"Unfortunately, heroin has a very large presence in Boulder County," Boulder police Sgt. Jeff Kessler told the paper. Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said that it's part of a larger shift away from prescription painkiller abuse.

"What I'm hearing is there is a lot of mixed opiate use and a lot of this stems from painkiller addictions," Pelle said. "But painkillers and prescription drugs are harder to get these days. Heroin is relatively inexpensive and easier to get their hands on."