Use of the heroin-based drug mix "cheese" appears to be on the rise among Dallas students, with arrests and requests for treatment from users both increasing, the Dallas Morning News reported April 12.

A blend of black-tar heroin and Tylenol PM, cheese has been a local drug problem in the Dallas area since at least 2005. However, Dallas Independent School District police say that arrests for possession or dealing the drug have risen 82 percent during the current school year, and area addiction treatment programs are seeing more users coming in requesting help.

Police said arrests have increased as intelligence has improved, but officials worry that use of the drug mix could spread. "While arrests for possession at this time have been concentrated in the northwest Dallas corridor ... it is perceived that its usage will spread rapidly across the district and surrounding districts," according to a school district memo.

So far, however, the drug has not been detected in other major Texas cities like Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. Most users are male Hispanics in their mid-teens.