America’s drug overdose crisis is out of control. Washington, despite a bipartisan desire to combat it, is finding its addiction-fighting programs are failing.
In 2018, Republicans, Democrats and then-President Donald Trump united around legislation that threw $20 billion into treatment, prevention and recovery. But five years later, the SUPPORT Act has lapsed and the number of Americans dying from overdoses has grown more than 60 percent, driven by illicit fentanyl. The battle has turned into a slog.
Even though 105,000 Americans died last year, Congress is showing little urgency about reupping the law since it expired on Sept. 30. That’s not because of partisan division, but a realization that there are no quick fixes a new law could bring to bear.
Have they considered doubling the number of prisons and providing police with tanks?
No, this is seen as a drug that white people are addicted to.
Treatment and compassion only.
(Not joking)
America’s response to the opioid epidemic is a far cry from treatment and compassion. They’re literally charging friends (addicts) of overdose victims with murder just for being associated by redefining “drug dealer” to be super broad and reclasifying ODs as poisonings.
Amazing read: He Tried to Save a Friend. They Charged Him With Murder.
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas signed a law this month to reclassify fentanyl overdose deaths as “poisonings,” and Arkansas passed a “death by delivery” bill in April to charge some overdoses as murders in an effort to deter anyone from selling or even sharing fentanyl. Prosecutors in Alaska, California, Florida and at least a dozen other states were beginning to pursue new murder cases against any defendant who fit under the wide-ranging definition of a fentanyl dealer: a 17-year-old in Tennessee who, after graduation, shared fentanyl in the school parking lot with two of her friends, both of whom died; a husband in Indiana who bought fentanyl for his disabled wife, who overdosed while trying to numb her chronic pain from multiple sclerosis; a real estate agent in Florida who threw a party and called 911 when one of her guests overdosed; a high school senior in Missouri who gave one pill to a 16-year-old girl he met at church and warned her to “only do a quarter and then do the other quarter if you don’t feel it.”**
No , but I understand invading Mexico is on tap
Don’t give them ideas. They’ll have everyone and their mothers working in a private prison factory by winter!
Everyone’s either a convict making products or a guard, it’s the perfect citizenry!
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And poor people have themselves to blame for routinely electing officials that go against their interests.
This is not a false statement.
Just let doctors prescribe painkillers fucking christ. Kicking legit patients off meds drives this entire issue.
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I had minor surgery last year and the sent me home with an opiate prescription. I didn’t take it because the effects to me are worse than the pain, but they did give it to me.
This is an oversimplification.
And so is the legislative response that put us here.
If you’re an American who isn’t part of the wealth class, not a lot of great reasons not to numb your pain if you can.
“Oh but you have so much to live for!”
Yeah, spending most of your waking hours making rich assholes richer in exchange for just enough to subsist off of to stave off death by homelessness. What great fucking lives that must be protected, amirite?
Prohibition was 100 years ago and we still haven’t learned that it doesn’t work
Well, it made for some great movies.
Doesn’t work for who?
Seems like a great way to keep poor people desperate and dependent on ridiculously expensive drugs.
Heroin isn’t a dangerous drug, just addictive. Legalisation would mean fewer deaths as quality could be regulated like other prescription drugs.
It is a public health crisis. Cops can’t fix a public health crisis. It’s not their job, they are not trained to do so. This was the heart of defund the police. Not to get rid of police but to redirect funds to agencies that are trained to fix non police problems.
I don’t see what cops have to do with this.
Why not raise taxes on the wealthy to fund social services?
“efforts”
“Opposite of progress” and all that
Congress’ what now?
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I love that it’s the cop that looks like he’s got the opiate lean going on in this photo.
Make a nationwide ban on Narcan. Wait for the problem to fix itself. Total cost $0.00.
People using the drugs isn’t really the issue that needs solving. It’s people dying and being harmed by them. Narcan is good, not bad. Make it free and easily available and save tax payer’s lives. Total cost: negative.
Yeah because everyone knows most junkies pay taxes… Narcan will never be made free, all that means is someone else, like the actual tax payers, are paying for it. The world would be a better place without Narcan.
Lol. Do you think all drug users are homeless and jobless?
If Narcan can save them they may not be homeless yet, but it will happen soon. For the sake of argument let’s say 50% are without jobs. The problem is still half way fixed, or twice as good as it is now.
Why would we assume that? Hell, about half of homeless people are still employed.
Regarless, the cost would be very low compared to all the other costs we pay for. It may even save money with fewer unpaid ER visits and things like that, totally ignoring saving taxable incomes.
I know you’re probably just some edgy teenager who things denigrating a group of people who you don’t know anything about is cool or funny, but it’s really fucked up. Have some empathy for your fellow man. We’ve all got shit going on, and it can all be improved on if we help each other.
