FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida’s war on pill mills is making an impact on prescription drug abuse, but there’s a troubling byproduct: a surge in the number of people now hooked on heroin.

With crackdowns focusing on siphoning off supply rather than treating addiction, people are finding that heroin, which yields a high similar to the widely abused oxycodone, is a readily accessible substitute.

“We’ve got to address treatment, or we’re not going to end the problem, we’re just going to change the drug,” said Jim Hall, director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Substance Abuse at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Fla. “If you asked me in a word what’s new (in drug trends), I’d say heroin.”