Friday, October 21, 2011

Dane County's Heroin Epidemic

Dane County has a heroin epidemic and has formed a task force to crack down on it. The numbers of ODs shows that there is a problem. We have multiple problems to deal with if we are going to stem this epidemic. First is the plentiful cheap drug. This is largely a result of our invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. For a country that professes to be engaged in a war on drugs we have watched as production of opium has skyrocketed in Afghanistan. Second you have to deal with the underlying reasons for addiction. Bad homes, bad childhoods, depression,... try to solve these issues. Third we need to get the economy moving so that there isn't this lingering malaise. And, finally I would not allow the police and EMTs to carry narcan. Yes, it works but I think that it is an enabler for continued drug use. People are overdosing and being saved which leads to a false sense of security. The example of the MT Horeb man who was "saved" on consecutive days by emergency personnel. Maybe if the chances of dying were increased people would wake up and use less of the drug.

1 comment:

  1. heroin is a terrible drug that is invading our societies of people in need of help not jail time How can we help the current people that are already addicts? There has to be some way to help the people who are already caught in this viscious trap!

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