Posted on 04/27/2014 4:45:59 PM PDT by mgist
HP: Many people don’t realize that overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. I gave a talk about five years ago in Chicago, and I mentioned that we had more overdose deaths than traffic fatalities. My audience literally did not believe me. People were absolutely convinced that I had mis-transcribed the numbers. Every year, America loses a little over 32,000 people in auto crashes, and something like 38,000 from overdose deaths annually.
KH: Yeah, it’s remarkable if you compare overdoses to AIDS, which at its peak was taking about the same number of lives. The difference in reaction is really startling. We appropriately became galvanized about HIV/AIDS, and implemented much better public policy to prevent HIV-related deaths. It’s much harder to get traction on the overdose issue, or even to get people to believe how prevalent the problem actually is.
…
HP: Just to note the numbers, in 1999 there were about 4,000 prescription opiate overdoses. In 2010, there were about 16,000. By comparison, there are about 10,000 gun homicides in the United States.
KH: It is pretty amazing. Many people are focusing on the return of heroin and saying, “It’s all the fault of criminals.” You’ve got to remember, 4 in 5 of people today who start using heroin began their opioid addiction on prescription opioids. The responsibility doesn’t start today with the stereotypical criminal street dealer. We basically created this problem with legally manufactured drugs that were legally prescribed. This really flies in the face of the argument that if we just had a flow of legal drugs, the harms would be minimal.
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HP: Can I ask you an embarrassingly basic question? If someone like Philip Seymour Hoffman presumably had access to all sorts of prescription opioids, why does he end up injecting heroin?
KH: That’s actually a good question. Cost drives many people to heroin. It’s more expensive to buy oxycodone than it is to buy heroin. Presumably that was a less pressing concern for Mr. Hoffman. Perhaps the intensity of the rush of injected heroin was more reinforcing to him than opioid medications were. The prescription medications have a longer, slower cycle of action in the body. His heroin use could also be the result of habit. He had experienced a heroin problem before, many years ago. It could be that that was the drug that he knew best or was available in the networks of dealers he used. I’m speculating about somebody I don’t know, but those are some possible reasons.
For most people it’s cost. Add one other thing; when people lose their health insurance, they may need the opioids to manage their pain. People sometimes end up buying street drugs including heroin to manage their pain because they have lost the insurance that used to cover their pain.
Maybe with some addicts, death isn't the problem.
Its the cure.
What America isn’t understanding is that this is social engineering at it’s finest. Soros, who laundered money for the cartels, has been pushing drug legalization, including heroin since the 90’s.http://www.aim.org/special-report/the-hidden-soros-agenda-drugs-money-the-media-and-political-power/
It is Soros’ $Billions in influence peddling, and lobbying, that have led people to believe that the war on drugs was useless. Bottom line, this crap wasn’t around when I was growing up in the drug capital of the world -Miami, in the 80’s and 90’s. There was cocaine, and since there really was a war on drugs, it was too expensive for curious kids.
What has gone on since the 90’s is BS. Big Pharma is legally destroying lives with “legal” opiates in the deceptive form of medicinal pills, and creating a nation of addicts. Politicians are addicted to the endless campaign cash in the form of Pharma and Wall Street lobbying.
Heroin is what destroyed China. Afghanistan now has unprecedented amounts of opium production, as does China, Iran, and Pakistan. Why is it getting into this country so easily?
Because we are a narco nation. Just like most countries in Latin America and Africa, our politicians have been bought and paid for by those who profit from death.
that was my 19 year old son, the child of 2 military officers, you just slammed
yeah his death cured something- my tolerance of clueless idiots
I’m so sorry. You are right people are clueless. This is intentional, and our government is complicit. Americans are being duped, conned, and lied to.
Once rare, heroin use on the rise
More people seek help; police seeing more on street
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20140316/LOCAL/303169953
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-07/australian-navy-seizes-700m-drugs-haul/5246840
Opiates are now the leading cause of accidental deaths, surpassing car crashes and alcohol. http://elitedaily.com/news/world/prescription-painkillers-overtake-car-crashes-leading-accidental-death-us/
This didn’t just accidentally happen overnight. $Millions have been poored into drug legalization efforts since at least 1996. This should be a case study in social engineering, propaganda, and lobbying, disguised as citizen activism. Big Pharma’s political donations have turned the FDA into a campaign finance for favors machine, and the Fat Cat bankers and hedge fund managers who launder money for the cartels, may not have directly broken US laws but they still have the blood of American children on their hands.
Don't you dare be self sufficient or independent! Don't you dare grow your own! They will kick in your door in the middle of the night and murder you!
Isn't it funny how our govt is arming BOTH SIDES of the illicit drug trade, and they are both aiming at US?
Don’t you get it? Your government is complicit with the cartels. Innocent parents have no idea what is going on. We are living in an Orwellian fantasy where truth is not available. Vulnerable kids have a vast supply of 80% pure heroin that doesn’t need to be injected. It is so pure it can be snorted.
Children are being prescribed legal opium and despite epidemic deaths, the FDA is silent. Early exposure to psychotropic drugs are known to lead to addiction.
Supply is known to be a determining factor to drug usage/ choices. Suddenly Opiates are everywhere!
Remember Holder’s ATF gave an arsenal of weapons to the Mexican cartels, in Fast and Furious?
This is Obama’s America FRiends. Help spread the word.
Agreed, the point is we are a NARCO NATION. Heroin production and distribution is at an all time high in Afghanistan, China, etc.
The NSA that can track every legal citizen keystroke and conversation can not pretend to play dumb in what is going on.
It is all about the benjamins, and Obama was bought and paid for.
The country’s leading cause of death are the USDA Dietary Guidelines.
There is a massive war on painkillers and because of that cancer patients and people with horrible painful diseases are suffering because doctors are scared to write prescription for these drugs because they can lose there license due to asinine laws.
So what if a junkie overdose, why the hell should sick people have to suffer for that.
When my child was less than a year old (though I had nearly twelve years in) I left the Marines to not be an absentee parent.
Your quip at me affects me to zero degree.
You and your spouse each made a choice.
It had really huge consequences for each member of your family.
Neither of you chose your son.
Yes there are clueless idiots.
Some cluelessness costs people’s children more than they should have to pay.
My car and my home have been burglarized three times since I moved to Texas. Zero parents who focused on their careers over their addict kids bother me when they get mad that I feel that the consequences of addicts continued usage reaches its predictable conclusion makes my life safer upset me.
No matter what job it was that they chose over their children.
I work the twelve step program together with some people who are addicts in a generic twelve step program.
I care about them. But they aren’t all going to get better. Some of them have stolen from me when I have given a ride to work or taken them out to eat.
Then there are the hardcases that have no interest in stopping what they are doing. They won’t work any type of program. They won’t hold a job. They won’t even bathe regularly, or tone their language down around kids and or stop making crude passes at everyone who strikes their sexual fancy. None of them are really a loss. Only God can fix them.
International drug trade is estimated by the UN to be about $325 billion/year.
Does anyone believe a market that large is not carefully controlled by several governments?
Agreed!
Opium production is through the roof since Obama’s regime was installed. Distribution of drugs via Africa is unprecedented. Venezuela is the world’s largest distributor, and the Muslim Brothehood has it’s prints all over this.
It is about terrorism. Just not the way people might think.
What do Soros, Abu Dhabi, and Barrack Obama have in common?
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/09/what_do_soros_abu_dhabi_and_barack_obama_have_in_common.html
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/22/mozambique-africas-new-narco-state
Africa has new problems these days.
Let me point something out to you.
Most parents are not unaware.
How many arguments do we have on this forum with amnestybots?
It isn't generally the illegals that they want to keep. Its the cheaper drugs.
That is why on every thread where law enforcement bad apples show themselves we get a chorus of cries for drug legalization.
Fine.
Deal with the death then.
Every addict that overdoses is someone’s family member.
But so is every burglar who gets shot at three in the morning by a homeowner.
There is not a war on drugs. If there were, the borders would be sealed. And the people who work to see to it that the borders are not sealed are not unaware.
Your premise, though well meant does not withstand scrutiny.
“There is a massive war on painkillers and because of that cancer patients and people with horrible painful diseases are suffering because doctors are scared to write prescription for these drugs because they can lose there license due to asinine laws.”
That is one of the worst consequences of the false war on drugs. Innocent people who actually need the painkillers will be denied the drugs, and the criminals will still get whatever they want. I was in a meeting with our county sheriff recently, who told us that the biggest drug problem in our area was oxycodone illegally manufactured in Mexico and imported for our streets. Legally prescribed and manufactured oxycondone is not the problem.
“We basically created this problem with legally manufactured drugs that were legally prescribed.”
Case in point.
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