The heroin epidemic’s toll: One county, 70 minutes, eight overdoses

[spinbaby]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-heroin-epidemics-toll-one-county-70-minutes-eight-overdoses/2015/08/23/f616215e-48bc-11e5-846d-02792f854297_story.html

Washington County, PA is home to me and, yes, we have a major drug problem here. The quote from the article that really hit me:

“If we had a serial killer killing one-tenth as many [people], we’d have the National Guard here,” Capretto said. “We’d have CNN here every night.”

[Warpy]

1. That's a consequence of illegality

along with the drug cut with things like baking soda and cement dust. There is no quality control and no dosage control. Users never really know what they've got until they cook it up and shoot it in.

The serial killer is the fucking drug war.

[Brickbat]

2. That quote is heartbreaking.

There are models for breaking the addiction. We know economic devastation plays a role. The war on drugs is a sham. We have a lot of the pieces to the puzzle and yet refuse to do anything about it because someone might get something "they don't deserve."

[saturnsring]

3. That's true but a serial killer and someone taking drugs are apples and oranges

[hunter]

4. Sadly a manufactured epidemic. Make the pills harder to get and people turn to the streets.

Anyone with an opiate or amphetamine addiction ought to have a safe local place they can turn to for help, including prescribed opiates and amphetamines and housing, non-coercive and supportive, so they might put their lives back together again.

I know a few 'seventies ex-heroin addicts. They survived because they crashed and burned in safe places, and rose again, sometimes more than once.

Every addict deserves that opportunity, and even if they can't leave the drugs behind them, addiction is no reason to punish anyone. It's a public health problem. If we can't cure it then we must do our best to minimize the damage done.

RIP Pinto, I will continue to ferociously support needle-exchange and other similar programs.

It's personal.

[NightWatcher]

5. Sounds like some whack smack got out into distribution

The people could've used cannabis to kick the opiates if we had enlightened leaders who didn't commercialize private prisons.

[Old Codger]

6. I have always said

And I see Obama may be attempting this, the one major weapon that is actually the most effective one is and always has been a treatment center for those who are ready and need it. You cannot ell someone who has finally come to the decision to stop that there are no openings at this time, we will put you on the waiting list. When someone has final y come to that point they need help now not somewhere in the distant future..


http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/08/17/3692244/white-house-heroin-health-treatment/

[MisterP]

7. oxy will get us out of this mess!