Overdoses From Heroin On The Rise In The US

Post Reply New Topic

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/10/hero ... in-the-us/

it seems to me, that when the FDA/DEA cracks down on legitimate pain killer access, that it would drive people to illicit pain killers. "suck it up and drive on" only goes so far.

The FDA actions are just short term and constructing policy on the run (to largely appear like they are doing something).

Any move to over-regulate or limit access to prescription pain-killers will have the same effect as prohibition of class 1 or 2 drugs. People will move from legal to illegal means to access their drug of choice.

Drug policy in the US deals with the symptoms not the underlying causes as to why people overuse drugs.

in America only the wealthy and those lucky enough to have Cadillac plans get any effective pain relief, everybody else must suffer or get illicit drugs for their pain relief.

Legalize all drugs including heroin, if it was regulated far fewer people would die or have the long term health effects. It should be regulated and we should focus our efforts at treating the addiction as a health problem, everything would be safer.

I don't really think it's because folks who can't get pain meds are resorting to shooting up smack. First of all, smack is much more expensive than the pain meds you can buy on the street. My best friend is a heroin addict and trust me, she's in no physical pain whatsoever. She tried it and liked the high. Then she started chipping, then she got on it. Now, when she can't afford any she does have pain but that's withdrawals.

My opinion is that people are ODing because they are used to black tar and they get china white instead. Black tar is actually heroin, and while there is still some old school Mexican brown around, most of the powder gear thats around now is China White. That's not heroin, it's fentanyl. Fentanyl is stronger than heroin and you hit the same amount of that as you would regular H, you die. The stuff my friend gets is China. If she got the tar, she wouldn't catch a buzz. Tar was what was popular for years and there is now a shift back regular. She started on the China.

Also, there are issues of route of administration and bioavailability. Many people hitting it up don't cook it, but cooking it increases the amount you get. The put the same amount in the spoon, somebody there says "Hey, I cook mine", they cook it and BAMMO. Hot shot in more ways than one. Some people switch from snorting to shooting. You can snort a hell of a lot more than you can shoot.

Basically, it's because people don't know what they are doing. Also, folks don't just do a little first to check purity too. They get lazy with it. Thats why. This is not just conjecture on my part either.

_________________
I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

The link to the forum is http://www.rightplanet.proboards.com

Yep, tranqs (benzos and antipsychotics) come under the same class, and I recall Ritalin and similar come under the next one up with Codeine and other "milder" narcotic pain killers (older tranqs like Barbiturates, Cannabis and some others too). The one up from that is Heroin and similar, which is the most controlled.

I suppose you can say we can get them if needed, those of us with disorders that is, whereas those who do it for recreation (whatever they so happen to get from it), have to go the illegal route, with the associated risks and danger there (ironically, it's probably more dangerous to make these things illegal for the users).

That's kinda the same with most things in regulated societies though. The dreaded "need".

The regulated way doesn't seem to work [as those that don't "need" them still get them], though it does produce revenue for various government agencies and to give them purpose.

I'm not a fan of drug addicts, like my father, but it would have been a lot easier on my family if he didn't have to spend $2000 a day for his fix, rather a much smaller amount through a typical chemist (or like cigarettes). Ironically, the laws made it harder for the victims of my father.