BUT IT DOES NOT ENTAIL ASSISTING USERS IN 'SHOOTING UP' WHICH APPEARS TO BE THE TREATMENT DU JOUR.
EACH YEAR DEATHS FROM OXY OVERDOSES MIRROR THE NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM CAR ACCIDENTS...i.e. 35,000.
PRESIDENT TRUMP CAME OUT THIS MONTH TO DECLARE THESE OVERDOSES A NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY WHICH MANY HAVE CRITICIZED SINCE, IN THEIR OPINION, HE DID NOT GO FAR ENOUGH. THEY SAY HE SHOULD HAVE DECLARED A NATIONAL EMERGENCY WHICH WOULD HAVE FREED UP MORE FEDERAL CASH TO FIGHT THIS SCOURGE.
In this, I side with President Trump in his more cautious approach since I fear that the United States may well fall into the trap we here in Canada have. We have attacked the process and not the cause / effect.
Canada has established numerous Safe Shoot-up Sites in the noble but totally useless attempt to reduce the number of deaths.
Users are given clean needles to use in their desperate attempt to feed their habit and should the shoot-up result in an overdose, health professionals are there to bring them back to the living.
It Simply Does Not Work and Permit Me to Explain Why:
First of all, it engages the State in an illegal activity;
Second, it may save some lives temporarily i.e. those who overdose on site, it does not though protect these unfortunate souls 24 hours per day, seven days a week;
Third, it does not usurp the influence of the Pushers rather it does the opposite since by cloaking the process with a false sense of safety, it encourage even greater usage;
Fourth, in conjunction with 3, it does nothing to reduce crime associated with users desperately trying to get the money needed to fund their dangerous habit; and,
Fifth and most importantly, these Pop-up Sites do absolutely nothing to get these unfortunates off their addiction.
So drop the Useless Pop-up Injection Sites and replace them with Treatment / Counselling Sites where addicts can receive the help they need including access to legal, less addictive drugs in a active treatment environment designed to actively wean them off.
And couple that with a Concerted Public Education Program for both Schools and the General Public alike warning of the grave dangers attached to the misuse of Oxycodone.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
