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More dismal news from the front lines of the opioid epidemic: Emergency room visits for opioid overdoses climbed by nearly 30 percent between July of 2016 and September 2017, (emphasis added) according to a report published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 143,000 Americans were brought to the ER for opioid overdoses during the 15-month period.
Unlike annual overdose deaths, which take more than a year to tally up, data on ER visits comes in real time, giving a more accurate portrait of the ongoing epidemic. The data also capture the tens of thousands of nonfatal overdoses. “For every fatal case, there are many more nonfatal cases, each one with its own personal and economic toll,” said Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s acting director. Because research shows that having one overdose is a good predictor of having another, the data presents an opportunity for targeting prevention efforts—like giving overdose reversal drug naloxone to family members and guiding the overdose victim […]
For the present moment we are very focused on the commercial opioids and the profit motive of the pharmaceutical corporations heightening the addictions problem ( as we should be ). It is also important not to lose sight of the question: Where is the heroin coming from? Those who can no longer obtain prescription opioids quickly find that high quality cheap heroin is available on the streets. This is a question uncovered in the media. I predicted when we started the “endless war” policy over a decade ago that we would have a heroin problem in this country. For those who know the history it was not a difficult call. Just search “Air America” and heroin during the Vietnam era, or the Iran Contra and Cocaine connections. The Military/ Security establishment rarely changes it’s playbook. What has changed is that it is now middle class Caucasian folks are plagued by the drugs. As a consequence, the standard racist incarceration response the system was using cannot be implemented as the populous won’t stand for it. That stated, if we do not recognize that most of the heroin consumed in this country originates from Helmand Province in Afghanistan we will fail to make the connection between our neo-con inspired foreign policy, and the scourge of addiction we are now confronting.