As Heroin Use by Whites Soars, Parents Urge Gentler Drug War

[Newell Steamer]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/31/us/heroin-war-on-drugs-parents.html

When the nation’s long-running war against drugs was defined by the crack epidemic and based in poor, predominantly black urban areas, the public response was defined by zero tolerance and stiff prison sentences. But today’s heroin crisis is different. While heroin use has climbed among all demographic groups, it has skyrocketed among whites; nearly 90 percent of those who tried heroin for the first time in the last decade were white.

And the growing army of families of those lost to heroin — many of them in the suburbs and small towns — are now using their influence, anger and grief to cushion the country’s approach to drugs, from altering the language around addiction to prodding government to treat it not as a crime, but as a disease.

“Because the demographic of people affected are more white, more middle class, these are parents who are empowered,” said Michael Botticelli, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, better known as the nation’s drug czar. “They know how to call a legislator, they know how to get angry with their insurance company, they know how to advocate. They have been so instrumental in changing the conversation.”

Mr. Botticelli, a recovering alcoholic who has been sober for 26 years, speaks to some of these parents regularly.

Their efforts also include lobbying statehouses, holding rallies and starting nonprofit organizations, making these mothers and fathers part of a growing backlash against the harsh tactics of traditional drug enforcement. These days, in rare bipartisan or even nonpartisan agreement, punishment is out and compassion is in.

Is the race of recent drug users a factor in the nation's stance towards the war on drugs? Or, is the author full of crap?

The realization that a war on drugs is useless has been apparent from the very beginning frankly. The 80s and 90s were overwhelming with the flood of junk people were putting into their bodies for a high.

And, even more prominent in the last decade. Especially with the rise in abuse of legal drugs. As well as the more brazen attitude of illegal drug traffickers. Face it, America is a junkie nation.

More importantly, I would like to know the parent's initial feelings on drugs, before their own children were involved. I see this as correlation, not causation.

WHAT SAY YOU!?!

 

[zinfamous]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/31/us/heroin-war-on-drugs-parents.html



Is the race of recent drug users a factor in the nation's stance towards the war on drugs? Or, is the author full of crap?

The realization that a war on drugs is useless has been apparent from the very beginning frankly. The 80s and 90s were overwhelming with the flood of junk people were putting into their bodies for a high.

And, even more prominent in the last decade. Especially with the rise in abuse of legal drugs. As well as the more brazen attitude of illegal drug traffickers. Face it, America is a junkie nation.

More importantly, I would like to know the parent's initial feelings on drugs, before their own children were involved. I see this as correlation, not causation.

WHAT SAY YOU!?!

yeah, pretty much. Now that the Prison and DEA industry has more or less run out of new black inmates, they start going after the whites with greater focus...well, also because meth.

Obviously this will inspire a bit more rage within a traditionally less-exploited class. Hate to imply such a thing, but it's undeniably true.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

My sister was/is (Not sure, we don't talk much) a heroin addict. Middle class whitey, fits the bill perfectly.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

^^^that's sad I'm sorry for you. How come nobody speaks about how Oxytocin brought heroin back

 

[CountZero]

When the drug wars and all of the ills around it was someone else's problem it was easy to take the view of "won't ever happen to me" but as soon as it strikes close to home people feel very strongly and that empathy they lacked before comes back in full force.

You see it all the time with medical stuff. Against stem cells until a debilitating disease strikes a loved one. Tired of all these cancer fundraisers and then you or someone you love gets cancer. People that are pro-life until they are pregnant.

It can be very hard to have empathy especially when the problems they face are their own doing so I don't completely blame people for having turned a blind eye for so long. I just hope we don't see people single out "white drugs" for compassionate treatment, it's long past time to rethink our war on drugs.

 

[MrPickins]

^^^that's sad I'm sorry for you. How come nobody speaks about how Oxytocin brought heroin back

The recent rescheduling of Rx opiates seems to be pushing pill addicts to use heroin because it's becoming cheaper/easier to get.

I have no real solution. :\

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

^^^that's sad I'm sorry for you. How come nobody speaks about how Oxytocin brought heroin back

Eh, it happens in life. Not much you can do, that's the most depressing thing. Whatever you do just feeds it. Support them with food? Leaves money leftover to buy more. You can't win, you can only hope they get clean.

My mom has done tons for her. Bought her a lawyer to help her out when cops were after her. Got her rehab, etc.. She just kept going back to it. Most my mom can do is take care of her kid for her every once in a while. All of the previous helps were lessons learned for my mom - because helping her out is the worst you can do. They need to hit rock bottom before they will have a drive to fix themselves.

 

[pauldun170]

We have a bunch of those fuckers in my Neighborhood.
Middle class white kids given every opportunity in a great school district and they go the scumbag loser route.
Stupid junkies breaking into homes and stealing crap then head home where Dad's Audi and mom's Mercedes are parked out front.

People need to stick to Alcoholism like god intended

 

[JSt0rm]

I wont take any pharma pain killers because I dont want to ever "want" heroin.

 

[DrPizza]

Is the race of recent drug users a factor in the nation's stance towards the war on drugs? Or, is the author full of crap?

Not directly. I think there are a lot of people who thought our nation's policies were misguided, but never really spoke out until it started happening to people they know. They had no concerns about what happened inside largely black communities, so if their legislator made legislation that negatively impacted those populations, they more or less ignored it, since it didn't have any affect on their own lives.

But, I suppose, if any good can come of this recent increase in heroin addicts, then let it.

 

[Subyman]

Heroin is on the rise because the regulations surrounding prescription opioids have been tightened. This was predicted years ago. So actually, drug regulation is what brought on this heroin increase...

 

[crashtech]

I don't care HOW it happens, the "War on Drugs" needs to die.

 

[Zorkorist]

Kids should know (and do know) Heroin is crazy bad.

-John

 

[Zorkorist]

It's one thing to say, drugs are legal.
It's another thing for teenagers to say "we know!."

You go teens and screw government.

-John

 

[zinfamous]

Kids should know (and do know) Heroin is crazy bad.

-John

well, we all know that you know.

~~ride~the ~~snake~~~~~~

 

[Brian Stirling]

Guy I knew in high school and was good friends with my sister got into heroin and one day disappeared and was never seen again. Years later the parents found that he'd gone down to NYC to score and must have gotten some pure stuff and OD'd. I guess he had no ID on him and he was buried in potters field. As sad as that is his parents did eventually find him, better than what happens for many.


Brian

 

[Jaskalas]

I wont take any pharma pain killers because I dont want to ever "want" heroin.

I've never had a painkiller in my life.
I've never been hurt bad enough to need one.
But I'm sure as hell pissed off that they are essentially banned and completely unavailable if I were ever seriously injured.

 

[unokitty]

A Brief History of the Drug War

Why are some drugs legal and other drugs illegal today? It's not based on any scientific assessment of the relative risks of these drugs – but it has everything to do with who is associated with these drugs.

The first anti-opium laws in the 1870s were directed at Chinese immigrants. The first anti-cocaine laws, in the South in the early 1900s, were directed at black men. The first anti-marijuana laws, in the Midwest and the Southwest in the 1910s and 20s, were directed at Mexican migrants and Mexican Americans. Today, Latino and especially black communities are still subject to wildly disproportionate drug enforcement and sentencing practices.

New York Times just discovered this?

Wonder how long it will take them to discover that legal drugs kill far more people than illegal ones...

Uno

 

[Spungo]

WHAT SAY YOU!?!

I hope some high profile politician's child is accidentally murdered by the DEA. Laws never change until they affect the inner party.

This is commonly attributed to Stalin, but one death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic. Seeing tens of thousands of lower class lives ruined by the war on drugs is a statistic. Having 1 powerful life ruined is the tragedy needed to fix the country.

 

[Pipeline 1010]

WHAT SAY YOU!?!

Stop taking a problem (drug use) and making it worse (war on drugs).

 

[Zorba]

I've never had a painkiller in my life.
I've never been hurt bad enough to need one.
But I'm sure as hell pissed off that they are essentially banned and completely unavailable if I were ever seriously injured.

As far as I can tell they still give out Oxy and Hydro like candy. So I doubt you'll have any trouble getting it if needed. At the beginning of the year my mom had her hip replaced, when I brought her home from the hospital I dropped off her Rx for Oxy, when I went back to get it they just gave it to me, I just had to show them her ID.

 

[crashtech]

The hell of it is that a lot of people DO probably need to be protected from themselves, I just don't believe in stomping on everyone else's freedoms to do so.

 

[MagickMan]

I've never had a painkiller in my life.
I've never been hurt bad enough to need one.
But I'm sure as hell pissed off that they are essentially banned and completely unavailable if I were ever seriously injured.

Banned? No. Your doctor just needs to write a scrip for you every month, they can't be prescribed for several months at a time like they were before.

 

[feralkid]

^^^that's sad I'm sorry for you. How come nobody speaks about how Oxytocin brought heroin back

A lot has been written/discussed. It just has little traction.

Also a big stink being raised over pain meds being abused; so much so that many Docs are afraid to prescribe them for legitimate patients.

DEA looking over their shoulders.

 

[waggy]

As far as I can tell they still give out Oxy and Hydro like candy. So I doubt you'll have any trouble getting it if needed. At the beginning of the year my mom had her hip replaced, when I brought her home from the hospital I dropped off her Rx for Oxy, when I went back to get it they just gave it to me, I just had to show them her ID.

NO..no they don't. IF you need it sure you will get it. that's not the real problem. It's those that NEED it monthly that are the ones suffering.

If you break a leg you are going to get it. IF you have chronic pain and need it monthly you have to jump through hoops to get it. Even then many doctors are cutting way back. not that they want to mind you. it's the DEA is hitting doctors and pharmacist on it.

So now that its harder to get pain pills many people who need them are turning to illegal drugs.