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This morning, a young lady in Butte County, California decided to go to the local free Needle Distribution Program that's heldevery Sunday, in a local park. She's not a drug addict or participant of the program; she wanted to know what the process was like.
At the distribution site, they gave her and handout free needles and a bunch of other items, likely costly Narcan, to aide people in injecting drugs into their bodies.
Notice, the program is not a Needle Exchange program, which would require participants to bring and give their used needles in exchange for new needles. Nope, distribution programs just give drug addicts a bunch of needles and other items to help and incentivize them to continue to violate many laws in California.
FYI: in crazy California, it's called a "Harm Reduction" Program, which translates into "Free Needles for Junkies."
This is an example of our (my) tax dollars at work. I helped pay for all of the free stuff that program gives to people who inject illegal substances into their bodies, most of whom don't work. I also work to make sure they have all sorts of other "necessities" (all free) in their lives, e.g., Obama phone, SSI, Medicaid, Medicare, free food/Food Stamps, free clothing, shelters that feed and shelter them, counseling and the list goes on and on.
To think I work hard and long hours to support people injecting illegal, controlled substances into their bodies, and giving them the means by which to do it, angers me more that I can reasonably articulate.
I don't want to support their drug habits or their lives. Yet, some part of every hour I work to earn a living and support myself goes toward supporting and enabling these drug addicts to enjoy their habits and their chosen lifestyles.
Location: Somewhere gray and damp, close to the West Coast
20,955 posts, read 5,545,820 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by self-made
Respectfully, rstevens62, I will only support a "needle exchange" or "needle distribution" program for drug addicts if a healthy dose of fentanyl is laced in each needle.
I now have zero compassion for those people. My compassion is now focused squarely on the countless innocent victims the drug addicts have terrorized, harmed and ruined.
Amen from someone whose two junkie brothers died about 4 months apart and made the world a better place.
Amen from someone whose two junkie brothers died about 4 months apart and made the world a better place.
I'm sorry to hear that. Having a cousin whose a manipulative addict and recently ripped off by 2 meth heads I can understand the resentment. Even though Death might be a little two much. It is family, friends and neighbors that typically pay the price and have their lives ruined for their addiction.
Are diabetics re using needles and infecting themselves? I haven't heard that's a problem.
diabetics often do reuse needles, i myself have done so in the past when i hit a bad economic time. And i know from discussions with my Doctor that some people on very limited incomes reuse their Diabetic supplies and even do things like cut their test strips in half(not really sure how this works). I haven't seen anything about it here but is anything preventing a diabetic from showing up for the free needles. I assume they don't question you to see if you are a drug user and nothing would prevent a Diabetic from showing up and asking for needles.
I like that program. AIDS in people dying quicker so the stupid dies with them.
Hope you get a joined room with Rush Limbaugh, "Looking up" at us, when your time comes....
You deserve it for that comment alone.
Wishing aids on people, wishing people with disease to die. It only proves what many have said. True R's Neo-Cons don't care about anyone but themselves.
No offense intended to true CONSERVATIVES. I have respect for all of you. I am addressing the "neo-cons" (new breed of conservatives), who have no regard for anyone or anything other then themselves.
Location: Somewhere gray and damp, close to the West Coast
20,955 posts, read 5,545,820 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LS Jaun
I'm sorry to hear that. Having a cousin whose a manipulative addict and recently ripped off by 2 meth heads I can understand the resentment. Even though Death might be a little two much. It is family, friends and neighbors that typically pay the price and have their lives ruined for their addiction.
I'm sorry for the pain of your experience with your cousin.
One of my brothers was also a meth cook, and I must assume that he never bothered to check his customers' ID and thus may have been selling his poison to children. Maybe he was granted mercy from God. He gets none from me.
I'm sorry to hear that. Having a cousin whose a manipulative addict and recently ripped off by 2 meth heads I can understand the resentment. Even though Death might be a little two much. It is family, friends and neighbors that typically pay the price and have their lives ruined for their addiction.
I have a relative that was given every single chance by their family to get straight. Job, roof etc etc etc. were all there to get turned around. They're miraculously still alive after decades of this in and out of jail using and dealing.
They're utterly disowned now with the final straw being related to the children of the junky and their treatment leading to lost custody.
The family opinion unanimously would be that it would have been for the best if they OD'd 20 years ago and this is coming from a large group of family that is tight knit for extended family. We have family that have issues over the years with stuff and they're still welcomed, helped and loved but the final straw with the one junky was the kids.
Back to topic, the freaking needles are dirt cheap to buy at Walmart (I sometimes pick some up for a diabetic friend when running errands). I bought them a whole box in Florida a while back and the lady was asking me if I just meant a bag of ten and I just blankly (naively) looked at her and was like "that wouldn't last long for a diabetic" then she said that they sell a lot ten at a time and it hit me given all the homeless around that it was for drugs.
It's 20 cents a needle or less. $2 for a bag of 10.
Makes me wonder, I've seen homeless with *honest* signs asking for money for booze or food. Anyone ever been panhandled for needle money?
Note to self: Days beach bumming and then wandering into a Walmart to buy needles and being mistaken for a user might suggest I shave, shower and put on clean clothes next time LMAO.
Location: Somewhere gray and damp, close to the West Coast
20,955 posts, read 5,545,820 times
Reputation: 8559
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathguy
I have a relative that was given every single chance by their family to get straight. Job, roof etc etc etc. were all there to get turned around. They're miraculously still alive after decades of this in and out of jail using and dealing.
They're utterly disowned now with the final straw being related to the children of the junky and their treatment leading to lost custody.
The family opinion unanimously would be that it would have been for the best if they OD'd 20 years ago and this is coming from a large group of family that is tight knit for extended family. We have family that have issues over the years with stuff and they're still welcomed, helped and loved but the final straw with the one junky was the kids.
It doesn't matter how many benefits you lay at their feet. My brother was given a new three bedroom home which would eventually have been his after a period of $400 mortgage payments, an EBT card and free energy, a ton of free treatment, the position of chair of the local mental health advisory council, a huge grant to establish his pet project of a community "recovery" garden which brought him media exposure, as well as a good amount of creature comfort paid for by my husband, and he chose his dope lifestyle and his dope friends. Go figure.
I know someone that lives in Santa Rosa, CA with a large homeless camp almost in their back yard.
They have people from outside their neighborhood bringing in food, clothing, toiletries and probably needles etc. to "help" the homeless.
It would really anger me if I'm trying to raise my kids and there are homeless tents 200 feet away within view of my house with needles, rats and not all but some really bad people in the mix.
If it were me, I'd follow some of those people back to their gated communities or whatnot. Then I'd rent a big white van and offer to relocate homeless people and give them some cash if they agreed. next stop? Oh yeah...right in the nearest park or even in the persons front yard.
No different than living near a nature preserve and having a neighbor putting out food to attract bears into our back yard while also keeping a hog-pen next to my bedroom window for ambiance.
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