Bad mojo for the War on Drugs
Today's report about a spike in heroin use among the young people of Washington County is shocking.
If that's happening here, in one of the most orderly corners of the country, what's going on in urban America?
I shudder to think.
It's time to get a new strategy for this nation's floundering War on Drugs.
It's becoming clear that the gateway drugs are not the illicit substances being smuggled into the country. They are coming from the medicine cabinet.
Lortab, Oxycontin and Vicodin are the entryway to addiction for our young people.
The government needs to rethink things and quickly. Enforcement doesn't seem to be doing the job, perhaps educational efforts will. It certainly has worked in getting kids away from cigarettes as fewer and fewer choose to use tobacco. It's sensible, honest and, apparently, working.
It's time to rework this system.
First, emphasis should be rooted in the realities.
It is clearly shown that marijuana is much less of a danger than tobacco and alcohol. It's psychologically addicting, but so is chocolate. Instead of wasting time by making criminals out of casual pot smokers or those who use it for medicinal purposes -- yes, it has many -- it's time to legalize it. It would provide a healthy tax base that could be turned around and invested in a realistic educational program. And, as we are seeing, it is no longer the gateway drug we have believed it to be for so long.
It is clearly shown that methamphetamines are the most insidious drugs on the black market. They're cheap to produce and purchase. They ruin lives. Emphasis should be placed on removing all types of speed. The addictive properties are fierce and lingering.
It is clearly shown that opiates are a danger. They have high addictive properties -- whether they are prescription medications or back-alley recreational drugs. The problem, of course, is that there's nothing recreational about addiction where the next score is more important than paying the rent.
The recidivism rate of those who go through rehab is disappointingly low. More programs, more educational efforts and more medical treatment will help prevent the abuses and give support to those who wish to kick.
And, while we're at it, let's also do something about one of the most dangerous drugs out there: alcohol. The physical, mental and emotional damage from drinking perfectly legal, but potentially lethal, alcoholic beverages is more widespread than any of the other abuses going on.
No, I'm not for alcohol prohibition, just a realistic attitude toward how dangerous it really is. Ask any cop and they'll tell you they'd much rather deal with a pot smoker than a drunk.
Controversial? Of course.
Bold? Absolutely.
Sensible? It's difficult to argue with facts.
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Comments
I know alcohol kills a whole lot more people than the giggle weed and I think that would remain the same even if Mary Jane was legalized.
Even if they don't legalize grass, they do need to put more of an emphasis on rehabilitation for all drug users rather than prison time for non-violent offenders.
Posted by: Dwayne | October 12, 2006 03:27 PM
And the article failed to address the very real problem of prescription drug addiction by "respectable" adults in our community. I know so many people who couldn't get by without their vicodin. You won't see any of them in a NA meeting.
Posted by: Arlene Ball | October 13, 2006 09:51 AM
That's a great point and one we hope to look into. And, it also deserves examination from another perspective. Doctors are finding that relief from pain helps speed the healing process.
At what point should those with chronic pain or other ailments be cut off, if at all?
Which brings me back to the legalization of marijuana for, at least, medicinal purposes. It's something a patient could control and doesn't create physical dependency. Right now, the alternatives are, unfortunately, drugs that are heavy narcotics with severe addictive properties.
Posted by: Ed Kociela | October 13, 2006 10:36 AM
You're right, of course, Ed. Although Utah, I've found, is a lot more compassionate in pain relief than other states. I mean, Utah's hospitals. I've had a couple of friends from Nevada who suffered from cancer and they had a hard time getting the pain meds they needed.
If I ever got cancer, I'd get me a street dealer real quick for marijuana.
I had a young friend who died of cancer here and they were wonderful in taking care of her. She had marinol on hand. But she still smoked marijuana.
I'm probably the only person on the planet who can't smell it. I'd walk in (I was a caretaker)and she'd be sitting on the bed smoking marijuana. I used to worry I'd get picked up for speeding on the way home and end up in jail. But I never said a word.
Dr. Smith told me once that a narcotic that might make a "normal" person fall asleep or feel dopey would not have the same affect on a person in pain. Pain has an amphetamine affect.
However, Lortab, vicodin (which I don't know from personal experience) do have a buzz that traps people pretty quick. Soma (which I do know from personal experience) is a pretty fun trip, too. All innocently addictive. And then you're screwed and your name is in big black letters on the front page of the paper.
I haven't seen any teenagers names on the front page of the paper: Joe Kid picked up on drugs.
It's more us old folks who make news, whose lives are majorly disrupted, temporarily ruined, and who innocently get entrapped while trying to manage pain.
I guess I agree with you on decriminalization a lot of those drugs. We have to find a better way.
That being said, I personally am lucky to be alive.
Posted by: annegb | October 13, 2006 01:16 PM