2 kids die

[Gramps]

I have been lifelong and best friends with 3 brothers and their sister.

6 months ago the middle brother flew back to Ohio to bury his only son at 35 years old. Tomorrow he is burying his youngest daughter at 30 here in Ohio.

WHEN IS THIS HEROIN GOING TO STOP?

I knew these kids, decent kids they were but haven't seen them for a few years.... This is such a tragedy...

[M-Quigley]

I wish I had an answer. I've got a couple of relatives out of state that are hooked and they won't do rehab. If they continue on the path they're going, I'll probably be going to their funeral eventually.

[Gramps]

I really don't understand why someone would use a drug that can kill them the first time and will kill them if they continue...

[TJW815]

It's crazy. I sat in a meeting with some of the Dayton PD brass where they were talking about the problem. They were all just speechless about how widespread this is. It's like nothing they have ever seen before. What's even worse is that on so many calls (overdoses) their hands are tied for prosecution.

If anyone has any ideas please feel free to share. I'll pass them along.

[TJW815]

I really don't understand why someone would use a drug that can kill them the first time and will kill them if they continue...

Why do people smoke cigarettes, drink beer, speed down the road, eat fatty food? It's the human condition. I'm not condoning or condemning anyone that smokes, drinks, speeds, or enjoys a burger by the way.

I used to be on the side of let the junkies die, anymore I want to find that miracle to remove the addiction.

[Brian D.]

It's indeed sad, but at 30 and 35 years old, they aren't kids, when you think about it. Old enough to have elementary or junior high children of their own.

[M-Quigley]

I really don't understand why someone would use a drug that can kill them the first time and will kill them if they continue...

IDK about the 2 people you mentioned, but with the two relatives of mine, they didn't start out on heroin. They started out on legally prescribed Opioids. They've been doing it for a while now. I guess they think it won't happen to them.

[Notasmiff]

The addictive qualities of prescribed opioids has been WAY underestimated.
They were never meant to be prescribed for (IMHO), minor pain or long term usage.
Drug companies knew the risks, but the almighty dollar is far more important than lives
And then our screwed up medical system, for a variety of reasons, often does not try to find the source of pain,
rather mask it and get kickbacks for prescribing opioids.
Trust me, I KNOW way more than I would like to, O-care did not help anything.

Think about the big wars, morphine was all they had for major wounds.
But if not administered correctly or for too long, you were hooked. The only option then, if morphine was not available was
heroine or smoking straight opium.
Now there's a variety of pain pills (all derivatives of opium), and very costly on the streets.
Heroine is cheap, and when you're hooked, the pain from going without is unbearable.
Nobody is immune, drs, parents, friends, people that you would never dream of.
You have to be aware and careful if prescribed.

[BEAR!]

Close the border! Drive the price of heroin up.

Of all the people I know who have died (and I've known quite a few) from O.D.'s not a single one has died from prescription opiates. All were from heroin or heroin cut with fentanyl/carfentanyl. Addicts cannot inject or smoke straight fentanyl or carfentanyl because it's too potent and will kill instantly. It has to have carrier like heroin.

The politicians want to make opioids so hard to get that I fear people that legitimately need pain relief won't be able to get it. I believe that our geeky looking Ohio attorney general is going after drug companies primarily because of the big money he stands to collect and secondarily to make it look as if he's doing something.

What does the government do to the mules that they do catch bringing in backpacks full of heroin? Put them in prison, no millions to be made from that. No big press conferences bragging about all the money they made for drug education and treatment. Meanwhile cheap heroin floods our streets and nothing is done about that.

The whole heroin thing sickens me as I've seen too many die and too many families destroyed.

[Notasmiff]

Closing the border will help, and HAS to be done. I agree with you Bear, on this.
Harsher penalties for dealers and smugglers need to be mandated. Weed is not a narcotic, IMHO, and time/efforts need to be directed at the REAL hard core drugs that are killing far too many people who never would have used/abused ANY drug, until prescribed opioids.
Heroine will ALWAYS be available though, Fentanyl and Carfentanyl may decline some.
The reason SO many get started at all is too often nowadays, from over prescribing from drs/pain management.
Yes, many people need pain medication, but many could get by with other options.
Our medical system is a corrupt, money first, healthcare last, bundle of crime.

I can't back up my statements....yet, but I do know firsthand. My wife came close to getting hooked and got help just in time. NEVER used drugs before major surgery. Looking back, even after removing a brain tumor, she says ibuprofen would have been a better option than opioids. Works better in the long term.
People who have not been on opioids (or don't know they're hooked yet) don't understand, opioids decrease your tolerance to pain while increasing your tolerance of the drug.
I have back pain almost daily and joint pain also, I've been prescribed opioids before, but could quickly see my tolerance going up and pain not much better, worse in some ways. I ain't going there and 1 refill was enough for me.
My father had his spleen rupture and passed out on the golf course with 2l of blood in his abdomen. After surgery he took 1 Vicodin and didn't like the feeling, dealt with it till healed, which happens much faster without opioids.

If drug companies have to constantly run commercials for a drug that makes you poop, due to constipation from opioid use....what's that say ?

Bottom line, cutting supply will certainly help, but cutting demand will make a bigger impact.

[MyWifeSaidYes]

Guns don't kill people...PEOPLE kill people.

But drugs? It's all the drug's fault.

SMH.

[WY_Not]

Yep. Can't believe that anyone still thinks prohibition does anything besides make crooks richer and gives politicians (crooks in suits) yet another excuse to stick their nose into people's business and make life still more difficult for the law abiding.

Guns don't kill people...PEOPLE kill people.

But drugs? It's all the drug's fault.

SMH.

[BEAR!]

Yep. Can't believe that anyone still thinks prohibition does anything besides make crooks richer and gives politicians (crooks in suits) yet another excuse to stick their nose into people's business and make life still more difficult for the law abiding.

Guns don't kill people...PEOPLE kill people.

But drugs? It's all the drug's fault.

SMH.

I understand your reasoning, I lean to the Libertarian side. This is supposedly a free country and what anyone wants to do with their body or ingest into it shouldn't be anyone's concern as long as they don't interfere with anyone else's rights.
Self responsibility right?

How soon do you think the government will be handing out free heroin?

I'll pick some up for y'all on my unicorn as soon as I find out what rainbow you two live on.

[Gramps]

I am hoping the education kids have been getting in their young years for a while may have an impact for better decisions later.... DARE etc.
Too many young (and older) people are going down the wrong paths and ruining or ending their lives.......

[WY_Not]

So what makes you think that either of us would be stupid enough to, or much less want to, ingest that poison?

Also not sure how you figure it is government's job to hand out poison? Pretty giant leap from wanting government to stay out of one's pockets and one's life all the way to wanting government to distribute poison.

Until someone commits a real crime, government should keep its nose out of their business. Frankly, if someone wants to poison themselves on their own dime I couldn't care less.

In the meantime, if you are flying around on a unicorn then perhaps you should lay off the poison.

Yep. Can't believe that anyone still thinks prohibition does anything besides make crooks richer and gives politicians (crooks in suits) yet another excuse to stick their nose into people's business and make life still more difficult for the law abiding.

Guns don't kill people...PEOPLE kill people.

But drugs? It's all the drug's fault.

SMH.

I understand your reasoning, I lean to the Libertarian side. This is supposedly a free country and what anyone wants to do with their body or ingest into it shouldn't be anyone's concern as long as they don't interfere with anyone else's rights.
Self responsibility right?

How soon do you think the government will be handing out free heroin?

I'll pick some up for y'all on my unicorn as soon as I find out what rainbow you two live on.