While the official cause of death cannot be confirmed until a full autopsy is performed, Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman died of an apparent heroin overdose. He was found dead in his West Village apartment with 50 bags of heroin, used syringes and other drug paraphernalia.
Hoffman was perhaps most known for his roles in Mission Impossible III, The Big Lebowski, and more recently for his role as Plutarch in The Hunger Games. Hoffman had recently finished filming The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2 is still in production.
Hoffman’s tragic and sudden death harkens back to other celebrities who have died of drug overdoses: Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, Whitney Houston, Brittany Murphy, and the list goes on. The number of actors, singers and other celebrities who have died because of drug overdoses, and specifically heroin overdoses, is staggering.
Hoffman did not hide the fact that he struggled to cope with his fame, but his battle with addiction began long before he became famous. While still in his early 20s, Hoffman received drug and alcohol treatment. By the time he turned 22 he was sober, and that lasted until May 2013 when he relapsed and admitted to snorting heroin again.
Heroin is highly addictive. Listed as a Schedule I drug, it does not have any currently accepted medical uses and is not considered safe for use under any circumstances. Heroin comes in many forms, such as the recently-popularized black tar heroin. In Oklahoma, heroin usage increased by four times from the 1980s to the 1990s. In recent years, it has become more readily available than ever before.
At AMA Law, we are of the opinion that heroin offenders cannot be reformed by incarceration alone. Many of them need intensive drug rehabilitation, and statistics have shown that this works. States that have reformed drug sentencing in recent years are the very states that have seen a dramatic decrease in criminal activity.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction to heroin or any other drug, we encourage you to pursue rehabilitation today. If you have been arrested for a drug offense, Oklahoma criminal defense attorneys at AMA Law can fight for you. Not only do we pursue charge dismissals, we pursue fair sentencing for drug offenders. Call today to discuss your case.