Opioid Crisis (Philadelphia, Penn, Mexico: 2015, insurance, purchase)

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by AJNEOA

The highest homicide rate since 2012. Other violent crimes are down and Ross is chalking it up to the Opioid crisis:

As most crime decreases, Philly records highest year-end homicide total since 2012

Another excuse is we still do not have enough officers although the current crop of new ones are supposed to be deployed in September according to the article. September is nearly a year from now. What happens in the meantime?!

[Redddog]

I thought it said "by" September. I would think that's a few classes of academy which takes while. I bet they get an appreciable number up and running on the sooner side of September.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by AJNEOA

Amen! This issue is just getting so wildly out of control. In another article, someone compared it to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Sadly, I think this could get worse because the real gateway drug is pharma medications, putting nearly any demographic at risk. And death is so immediate. Just a trace of fentanyl and you're dead.

Not so much now. Doctors generally undermedicate these days. It happened to me a year and a half ago. Not sleeping or eating enough--for weeks--because you're in pain is more than a nuisance.

[Pilot1]

The war on drugs has been a huge failure, and waste of our tax dollars. It also incentivizes gang violence, and turf warfare. Drugs should be legalized, except for those under 18 of course. The jails are too full of non violent drug users.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Pilot1

The war on drugs has been a huge failure, and waste of our tax dollars. It also incentivizes gang violence, and turf warfare. Drugs should be legalized, except for those under 18 of course. The jails are too full of non violent drug users.

Well, we absolutely agree!

[LLCNYC]

Originally Posted by gerania

not so much now. Doctors generally undermedicate these days. It happened to me a year and a half ago. Not sleeping or eating enough--for weeks--because you're in pain is more than a nuisance.

+1.

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Well, we absolutely agree!

You see! It's not so difficult.

I don't think non-violent criminals should do jail time. It has created an over crowded situation that is costing the taxpayers way more than it should. Our justice system is all about revenue generation, that's why they want it the way it is. It is CORRUPT.

[AJNEOA]

One of the most costly side effects of non-violent felons is the stigma and inability to have a productive, healthy life because of it. I'm not saying a drug dealer selling h to school kids will ever be a good productive member of society, but someone who got caught with a pound of weed could very well be.

[StayingAfterSunday]

Originally Posted by Gerania

Not so much now. Doctors generally undermedicate these days. It happened to me a year and a half ago. Not sleeping or eating enough--for weeks--because you're in pain is more than a nuisance.

So true. The real scourge nowadays is fentanyl, either by itself, mixed with heroin, or sold as heroin but, in fact, containing only fentanyl. The fentanyl apparently comes not from American pharmaceutical giants but from clandestine "underground" labs located in China and Mexico. The fentanyl making its way to Philadelphia comes primarily from China and is sold over the Dark Web. The China-sourced fentanyl supposedly is superior to fentanyl made in Mexican labs.

The ConcordMonitor.com reports that in 2016 West Virginia still had the highest overdose deaths of any state, with Ohio and New Hampshire registering the second and third highest numbers of overdose deaths, respectively. Nationally, opiates were involved in two thirds of drug deaths in 2016.

[Redddog]

They love the fentanyl. Even though they know it kills you, they seek that stuff out.