Posted on 11/08/2013 7:48:19 AM PST by BenLurkin
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — An Agoura Hills family is raising awareness about the dangers of heroin addiction among teens.
The Isaac family is opening up about the drug that brought their 19-year-old son’s life to an end on Aug. 21, when he was found dead from a drug overdose.
“The face of heroin has changed,” Rick Isaac told CBS2′s Serene Branson when recalling his late son, Josh.
The Agoura Hills High School graduate grew up in a loving home, involved in baseball, basketball, soccer and skateboarding.
Rick and Joyce Isaac now say they’ve learned a painful truth — heroin doesn’t discriminate.
“When he was using marijuana as a teen I would have never dreamed he would have touched heroin,” Joyce said.
Josh’s parents, and his sister, Lauren, started noticing changes in his mood after graduation as he transitioned from high schooler to adult. Lauren, who is three years older than her late brother, now wants to be an addiction counselor.
“I’m from a pretty normal family in my opinion. My parents are well educated and were here for me and our brothers. It can happen to any family,” she said.
Family members say they tried everything. Josh had been in rehab three times this year, the last time in August just weeks before his death, and was set to go back five days after he died.
“I saw him Tuesday night, the night before he passed away. He said he was going to turn his life around, enter a long-term program,” Rick said.
Then came the sheriff’s knock on the door: Josh had overdosed while staying with a friend he’d met in treatment.
“People going into treatment need to know that. Don’t use ‘one more time,’” the father said.
Now the Isaacs visit Josh’s Westlake Village grave, rather than a college dorm, plagued by thoughts of how they could have prevented his death.
“It’s hard for a parent because when they’re little, you can fix stuff. Then they grow up and they’re the only ones that can fix it,” Joyce said.
The family has created a foundation in Josh’s name, hoping to boost awareness about teen heroin addiction and build a dialogue.
“There’s this denial that goes on — ‘I know personally that nothing like that could happen to my kid, never,’” Joyce said.
According to the Los Angeles Overdose Prevention Center, overdose deaths have doubled since 1990. They’re now the second-leading cause of accidental deaths in California for people 15 to 34 years old, second only to traffic accidents.
“I know it’s a serious problem here. There is no discussion. There is a big heroin problem in Agoura/Calabasas. The kids need that fear of drugs when I grew up. They need a fear of it,” Joyce said.
Recent studies suggest there is a shift from injecting heroin — to snorting or smoking it — because of increased purity, and the misconception that these forms won’t lead to addiction. Experts say it’s pure, abundant, and as cheap as a movie ticket.
Cartels are bringing much of it from south of the border, and law enforcement in the greater Los Angeles communities of Agoura, Simi Valley, Santa Clarita and La Cresenta say it’s a growing problem. Narcotics detectives say dealers hook teens by giving them their first few hits for free.
The Isaacs say they’re aware of two other teens who’ve nearly died from overdosing since Josh’s death.
They’re hoping their story sparks a conversation and inspires the community and individual families to look at heroin head on.
“It could be learning disorders, mood disorders, just the difficulty of teen years. It’s a complicated thing to get through. We want people to understand that so they can manage their family and friends as best as possible,” Rick said.
“There’s a lot of people that don’t want to talk about bad stuff in their family, but it needs to be talked about in the community,” Joyce said.
Our current president has acknowledged past coke and pot use. It is claimed he also smoked crack.
President Clinton's brother said he had a nose like a vacuum cleaner and is rumored to have used it while in the White House.
JFK used prescription medications as well as pot and LSD whle in the White House. LSD was legal at the time, as well.
Toronto's mayor is hardly an aberration.
Yeah, and I am the crack smoker...
ALL OF IT WAS THE REAL SHIT.
They move from pill form to the "traditional" as their needs increase. This is all well documented.
Perhaps you need to lay off of a non-controlled substance, caffeine.
The culture war pushes drug consumption.
Can’t encourage kids to “kick the habit” or “just say no” when their peers, mentors, and elected leaders are saying “yes! yes! yes!”.
“What are you? SQUARE?”
Keep them dumb and dependent.
“No dispute with that. However I do take issue with those who deny marijuana is a gateway drug.”
Calling marijuana, beer, cigarettes “gateway” doesn’t make much difference.
I tried them all, but got addicted to alcohol. When I got sober, I had an accident, surgery and was given Vicodine. A friend in AA advised me to be careful, because the pain meds were very fast and effective, in “hooking” you.
The Vicodine came from the doctor and the pharmacy. It is written that one of the biggest “addiction crises” is among older Americans, for prescribed pain meds.
My wife looks after her 86 year old mother, who wears a pain med patch. Recently she had an accident, got overdosed on the patch, and it nearly killed her.
My father introduced me to alcohol, so that by the time I reached adulthood, I’d know how to drink properly, like a man.
That is what his dad did, before him.
Some kids try alcohol, throw up, decide that is not worth it and don’t drink.
Another kid will try alcohol, throw up, and decide that is just the thing, and he is found later living a shitty life, dead at an early age, or in AA.
Pick your own poison, pick your own vendor. There are plenty for all.
Rich kids have always used Boy.
Kennedys
Hell Plano supposedly had an epidemic in 90s
Afros went to crack from Lucas H 30 years ago
Cheaper and better than oxycontin
Hat tip....peckerwood junkies
Did you ever check the cost of these Rehab Centers?
Continuing on drugs is cheaper.
Around here Oxy and Percs have become so expensive that Black Tar Heroin is the drug of choice for the Pillbillies...
No; not a member. I don’t know if there is an organized “chapter” in Indiana.
“Is 0.03 BAC enforcement excessive and confiscatory?
Is 0.08 BAC enforcement excessive and confiscatory?”
Yes and yes.
“How about limits on the quantity of purchase of alcohol, hours of purchase of alcohol, and age limitation on alcohol?”
If the local governments do it, they certainly have the authority, and if I don’t like their rules, I don’t have to live there. There shouldn’t be any federal laws on the matter though, or backdoor attempts using threat of withholding federal highway money.
“Do you have a problem with employer prohibition of tobacco use (even during an employee’s off hours, outside of work)?”
That’s tricky, because I don’t like it, but it’s probably a free association issue. The employer should have great leeway to employ or not employ whomever he likes.
“How about smoking bans in parks, cars with children, depictions of tobacco use in movies/old cartoons/magazine advertising?”
I’m comfortable with local governments trying these things, and seeing how they shake out at the ballot box, or in court, even though I don’t like them. Banning advertisements is a clear 1st amendment violation though, so no, that is not okay.
“Tobacco and alcohol are “legal” but sale, production, transport, and conditions on where it may be used are heavily regulated and becoming more so every year. Dopers ain’t gonna abide by that.”
So what? Neither do alcohol or tobacco users, when the regulations become too onerous. People always find ways to flaunt regulations when they can’t tolerate them, but we have no problem dealing with that through civil enforcement, or criminal penalties if the civil ones don’t work.
No dispute with that. However I do take issue with those who deny marijuana is a gateway drug.
<><><<
I’d love to hear from the posters on this thread, from what product did y’all get your first buzz?
It was cigs for me, followed by booze, and only then MJ. Tried a few other things in late high school and college, but never took to them. Loved pot, though.
So, in your estimation, was pot my gateway (to nowhere, ultimately)?
Vancouver lets you smoke. So does Amsterdam. And Colorado.
No further need to bitch about legalizing it nationally if that's your barometer.
“Vancouver lets you smoke. So does Amsterdam. And Colorado.
No further need to bitch about legalizing it nationally if that’s your barometer.”
What are you talking about? You asked me about cigarettes and alcohol, and now you want to apply my response to illegal drugs, in some kind of bait and switch?
You’re also mischaracterizing the status of drugs in those places. Federally scheduled drugs are not legal in any of them, even the foreign countries you mentioned.
Bitching and moaning about pot being illegal while these are not. If you are okay with heavy restrictions on the sale of tobacco and alcohol (in essence, I’ll leave rather than change those laws) you can do the same over pot, etc.
“Bitching and moaning about pot being illegal while these are not.”
Give me a break. I’m trying to have a discussion about policy and you want to make it out like I am a pot head who just wants to smoke. I haven’t said word one about that.
Go find some other sucker to play your dishonest games with.
I was later told that that was quite a common reaction.Assuming that's true how can anyone be a heroin addict?
That is the problem, and now we have a government which - through its pro-drug legalization policies - is encouraging drug addiction and dependency.
But it’s much easier to control a drugged population than a conscious one, so I guess it all works to Obama’s advantage.
Thanks for the heroin cutting info, Marie. My friend who is a drug counselor told me that marijuana has more THC now, selectively bred to be much more powerful. . He tells college kids, “This is not your father’s marijuana.”
In Viet Nam the the heroin was pretty darn pure.
One thing about heroin when its really pure its
really easy to OD.
I tried it for a while smoking it till one day I
did a bit too much and dry heaved for about two hrs.
Scared the crap outta me,but did it again the next
day.Lot of guys came back to the USA junkies,but
thank God I quit it on my own before coming home.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I think you mean "popular culture." If so I agree 100%. The whole Sixties upheaval was about sex, drugs, rock 'roll...and communism. Unfortunately many of today's supposedly "responsible adults" have never really rejected those adolescent attractions even though they may wear suits and ties or feminine business attire at work and go to PTA meetings.
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