“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

Americans’ dependence on and abuse of prescription opiates set the stage for the devastating heroin epidemic that hit big cities and small towns across 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 illegal revenue fell with the legalization of marijuana and the demand for opiates rose, 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, HEROIN: CAPE COD follows the downward spirals of the young addicts’ lives — hustling for money; scamming their parents; destroying relationships; running up and down the Cape; texting to buy or sell; shooting up in the bedroom as mom watches TV downstairs; overdosing: going to rehab; relapsing; getting up everyday to the same vicious cycle.

Marissa, the film’s 23 year-old muse, guiding us through the calamities of the addict's life, demands respect and understanding, reminding us that, “I could be your daughter.”

Produced for HBO DOCUMENTARY FILMS

Produced, Directed & Edited by STEVEN OKAZAKI
Co-Producer LISE BALK KING
Consulting Producer SARA BERNSTEIN
Executive Producer SHEILA NEVINS

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.