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‘This is unprecedented’: 174 heroin overdoses in 6 days in Cincinnati

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Heroin is something that, even at my most experimental, I always stayed away from. Terrifying drug. I've run across it a few times and it always scared the fuck out of me.

Can bet you a good majority of these addicts held the same views you did before they turned to dope.

There's very little choice involved in the matter.
 
Or just do weed if you want to relax. Like, it's funny how many people think it's just as bad as drugs like cocaine, heroin, and meth, but it's not even on the same spectrum.

The war on drugs was a mistake.
Did the war on drug really actively target pot though ? Did it not focus on harder stuff?
 

DarkKyo

Member
I wonder how many GAF members are heroin addicts.. I mean statistically there would have to be some, wouldn't there?
 

Ambient80

Member
Very New research indicates that many people are predisposed to addiction as well (in addition to all the valid reasons others are posting here). What ends up happening for a lot of these people is they're always looking for something to fill that malfunctioning part of them and if it's not opiates it's gambling or overeating or drinking etc. Charlie Rose does a series on the brain on his show pretty regularly and he had some leading specialists on a year or so back talking about it. Really fascinating stuff

Until we change the way we address addiction in this country from a treatment standpoint you're going to have problems like this. On an interesting side note I went to college in WV several hours from cincy and they had the same thing happen on a smaller scale (about 47 in a week I think) about a week ago. Must be making the rounds of all the rust belt region

Yep. The guy who sold that in WV was from Akron, OH. Supposedly he said he got it from Detroit but I haven't seen that confirmed. Matches with the drug route tho. Detroit, down through Ohio, KY, WV, and down the coast into Miami. Dunno if it has gone past WV though, as far as this carfentanil stuff is concerned.
 
Are you saying there is never any reporting on drug issues in non white communities? Or that if you show up with overdose symptoms to the er and you are non white they will throw you out?

Never is a hard word but reporting of drug issues happen mainly in white communities while black communities it is ignored. Drug abuse it self is more likely to get you arrested if you black though they are the least likely to actually use drugs. If you want heavier statistic I can probably find them some though if overdose cases are ignored than they wouldn't be statistic on them though. Be patient my slow ass internet (40kbps) is hard to pull up PDF Research papers to link. If somebody else can link them faster please do so. Now if they go to the ER than yeah they would help or at least I hope so I haven't looked that up but getting to the ER is another story.
 

FZZ

Banned
My friend or kinda friend snorts ketamine

so yeah

world is a pretty fucked up place

the things people do to get high man
 

Mistake

Member
These dealers aren't too bright if their customers die. I've heard of them mixing in tranquilizers before, but not on the level of elephants, goddamn
 

entremet

Member
These dealers aren't too bright if their customers die. I've heard of them mixing in tranquilizers before, but not on the level of elephants, goddamn
Race to the bottom.

Also were talking about heroin dealers. The level of intelligence isn't gonna be high here.
 

Red

Member
Race to the bottom.

Also were talking about heroin dealers. The level of intelligence isn't gonna be high here.
I wonder if there was an initial supply tainted, I doubt the dealers mixed this themselves. The carfentanil-laced heroin was found in several other places around the country. It isn't isolated to Cinci. My guess is street dealers didn't know what they had.
 
There was 27 in one evening in my hometown of Huntington WV a week ago. Someone in Akron was arrested for it. They are cutting it with something weird. They are also using counterfeit stuff like Fetynal in it and fake pills. Prince had some and its stronger and synthetic. Scary.
 
I watched my cousin a combat veteran that was on pills for pain get strung out until the pills stopped and moved to heroin. His life is ruined now.

scary shit.

I have a buddy that just got out of the same thing a few years ago (before I met him). It's hard, but there's hope. :/
 

DietRob

i've been begging for over 5 years.
Shit is fucked out here fam. Even before this bad batch more than half of my high school friends have already died off this shit. This week 2 more dropped but were saved by narcan.

Its not Street level dealers that are cutting this shit it's coming in hot like this.
 

Trey

Member
I have heard doctors, pharmacists, and first responders all entertain the idea of withholding narcan from repeat offenders for this very reason. It's disturbing and I think totally the wrong attitude to take, but I understand the frustration. Without a serious systemic change nothing will be fixed in the short term.

don't they take an entire oath to prevent shit like this, or is my view of these things extremely reductive?
 

Crayons

Banned
Please don't do opiates.

They took my money and could have taken my life. Very dangerous. Incredibly easy to get addicted. You won't even see it happening.
 

Kthulhu

Member
Kurzgesagt-In a Nutshell did a great video on heroin and addiction: https://youtu.be/ao8L-0nSYzg

Edit: they also did one on the war on drugs: https://youtu.be/wJUXLqNHCaI

Fuck cancer.

iLTfr5H.png
 

ezrarh

Member
The whole opiate and heroin epidemic is a travesty. It's what happens when pharm companies get cozy with doctors.

It's also one of those rare situations where racism helped minorities in the long run.
 

Krejlooc

Banned
Same. It's horrifying, though I dabble in pain pills occasionally so I'm kind of a hypocrite.

I don't judge any person for what they put into their body. I've known people who smoked heroin occasionally and never, to my knowledge, descended into crazy addiction. More the power to them. I know myself and my personality, however, and I am dead certain it wouldn't take much to get me crazy addicted to shit like that, so I always stayed far away. Same for the opposite end with stuff like Meth. Not even once (tm).
 

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Krejlooc, how's that software coming?
 

Red

Member
don't they take an entire oath to prevent shit like this, or is my view of these things extremely reductive?
Suggesting the idea is not the same as implementing it. Anyway I think they are speculating that resources would better be used elsewhere, since addicts who overdose frequently do so again, and assisting them can seem futile. This is not the case, they realize this on reflection, but again, it is easy to fall prey to frustration when your efforts appear not only to be wasteful but harmful for diverting resources from people who are at risk for reasons beyond their control.
 
Its nuts here in Ohio, was hearing on NPR last week that over 3,000 people died from heroin ODs last year which worked out to about 3 people everyday.

I live in Ohio too. I hear about this all the time on the radio, but I don't know anyone who seems to be using heroin. We have a lot of poverty though. My guess is it's absolutely rampant.
 

Jacob

Member
My town here in Maryland has a large sign in the middle of the "downtown" in front of the courthouse with a running tally of the number of overdoses and number of fatalities from heroin in our county so far this year. Nowhere near these numbers yet so I guess so far dealers here (or people higher up the distribution chain) haven't been cutting their product with as much shit.
 

entremet

Member
The whole opiate and heroin epidemic is a travesty. It's what happens when pharm companies get cozy with doctors.

It's also one of those rare situations where racism helped minorities in the long run.

For your last statement, you mean prescription drug orders?
 
My town here in Maryland has a large sign in the middle of the "downtown" in front of the courthouse with a running tally of the number of overdoses and number of fatalities from heroin in our county so far this year. Nowhere near these numbers yet so I guess so far dealers here (or people higher up the distribution chain) haven't been cutting their product with as much shit.

We're talking over two million people in the Cincinnati area as far as population. How big is your county?
 

Jacob

Member
We're talking over two million people in the Cincinnati area as far as population. How big is your county?

About 250,000, so fair point. I'd have to double check but the overall total is probably close to the same percentage as in Cincy. Last year sheriff's deputies here started carrying narcan with them while on patrol.
 

ezrarh

Member
For your last statement, you mean prescription drug orders?

There are many factors on why minorities are less likely to be prescribed opiates for pain relief but there is this thought among doctors that they would be more likely to get addicted and sell the drugs so they weren't prescribed as much or for as long.

http://www.vox.com/2016/1/25/10826560/opioid-epidemic-race-black

That is not to say there isn't a problem with heroin among minorities - we still need to give resources to everybody in need.
 

Aiustis

Member
They are going easy on them because of the demographic that this is largely impacting. I see enough of them around here.
 

entremet

Member
There are many factors on why minorities are less likely to be prescribed opiates for pain relief but there is this thought among doctors that they would be more likely to get addicted and sell the drugs so they weren't prescribed as much or for as long.

http://www.vox.com/2016/1/25/10826560/opioid-epidemic-race-black

That is not to say there isn't a problem with heroin among minorities - we still need to give resources to everybody in need.

Oh I remember that!

Man, institutional racism sure is a bitch, eh?
 

Terrifyer

Banned
Man this is so tragic. It's such a difficult issue too. I used to always think like "why would people even start using these drugs? What leads someone to that?" Until I developed rheumatoid arthritis and experienced pretty elevated, chronic pain. I haven't taken opiates yet and my condition likely won't require anything more than possibly Tylenol 2 since longer term treatment options are available, but I get it now. And I know that there are tons of both chronic and acute conditions that are way worse than what I'm dealing with. Like what are you supposed to do if you're in agony all the time and you can't even sleep?
 

Red

Member
I just watched this Vice episode. That is terrifying and heartbreaking. At the same time though I feel disgusted by these people as well, that they partied that hard or got hooked and couldn't show self restraint. How far these people go for that fix etc. They're barely functioning as humans anymore.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=28rJqj-7pEY
Addiction is a disease. Most people don't get hooked on a drug or demonstrate a lack of self restraint just for the heck of it.
 
Addiction is a disease. Most people don't get hooked on a drug or demonstrate a lack of self restraint just for the heck of it.

I know. It's no different then the depression I suffered from. People could have looked down on me and said why couldn't you just get a grip etc. It's just the lengths they will go to to get their fix that gets to me. I wasn't trying to say they don't deserve sympathy. It's just such a departure... It's really sad. One of the guys in there you could tell he wanted so badly to get out. I can kind of empathize, but that guy is on a whole different plane.

I guess I just have a lot to learn about here. For me my depression wasn't a choice. Drugs do seem like a choice to me though so I have this nagging harsh judgment in the back of my mind even though I know they don't necessarily deserve it.
 

Riptwo

Member
I know. It's no different then the depression I suffered from. People could have looked down on me and said why couldn't you just get a grip etc. It's just the lengths they will go to to get their fix that gets to me. I wasn't trying to say they don't deserve sympathy. It's just such a departure... It's really sad. One of the guys in there you could tell he wanted so badly to get out. I can kind of empathize, but that guy is on a whole different plane.

I guess I just have a lot to learn about here. For me my depression wasn't a choice. Drugs do seem like a choice to me though so I have this nagging harsh judgment in the back of my mind even though I know they don't necessarily deserve it.
There are some intense neurobiological components to addiction, causing some to be more susceptible than others to begin with. In addition, a number of drugs modify one's reward pathway (i.e. modifying dopamine receptors) and quite literally cause one to crave said drug over food, sex, etc. Combine that with harsh and potentially deadly withdrawal symptoms, and it's difficult to claim that it's a matter of willpower.
 
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