National Award-winning,
Family-run Newspaper
Family-run Newspaper
Lake Huntington
To the editor:
We have split the atom but can’t stop ‘preventable’ overdose deaths!
Over seven years of talks, forums, discussion tables and …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
Please log in to continue |
Lake Huntington
To the editor:
We have split the atom but can’t stop ‘preventable’ overdose deaths!
Over seven years of talks, forums, discussion tables and think-tanks that have come up with ‘drug abuse and addictions are preventable’, it’s hard to conceive that we still have 93,000 preventable overdose deaths a year in this country!
In March 2014, NYS Senate Joint Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction was created to examine the alarming rise in use of heroin and opioids that has claimed lives. Sheriff Michael Schiff: “I am pleased to see Senate…We cannot simply arrest our way out of this problem, must include education and treatment.”
09-23-2016, The Democrat front page articles: ‘Five heroin overdoses - four fatal - in Wayne County, PA in past two weeks’. Since this article, Wayne County, PA has lowered their OD deaths rate while Sullivan County OD Deaths are higher and on the rise! Did anyone ask Wayne County how they are doing this?
Top of the page- Public officials/community leaders with ‘Officials discuss addiction’. Highlights - ‘Addiction is preventable, curable and treatable’, stricter laws coming, legislation to fund $120 million for education and treatment, law enforcement proactive in arresting drug dealers/drug court use.
2020 - DA Galligan will arrest dealers. Sheriff said that in 2016! Early 2021 - Coroner Albee Bockman tells the legislature ‘there’s no end’ in overdose deaths, offers nothing.
May 2021 - Sheriff/DA want to try ‘hope not handcuffs’ for non-violent drug abusers arrested for crimes.
2021- Sullivan County Task forces starts with an information highway on computer/internet, but who that is need for help ‘NOW’ is going to sit at a computer in their condition?
Mid 2021, mental health crisis on rise!
With all the talk how is this possible: Monticello man arrested on felony drug charges following probation home visit while having misdemeanor drug charges on him?
No more broom pushers. We need Real discussion by Real people on this Very Real problem!
2 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
.
What specific action would you take to solve this issue?
Tuesday, July 27, 2021 Report this
lhfc1563
Seeing another article called for some comparisons.
In 2019 there were 70,630 drug deaths, these are preventable.
The story I was looking at was that gun buying is on the rise and that it may not be as safe as you think, more of an anti-gun story. But looking at the numbers,
in 2019 there were 39,767 gun deaths with 6 out of 10 being suicides.
If you base the gun against the drugs, owning a gun is safer than that of drug use for the first time buyer (gun) doing it legally.
A specific action - let's see -
I would get rid of the politicians and community leaders that have shown for the last 7 years they know nothing and since the gov't hasn't been able to stop the drug trade for over 60 years is just something it seems they want to keep.
Discussion on what to do would be better of people that are in recovery, have hit rock bottom, recovered, got it from here, there and whatever, from doctors or ect, from injuries and etc if you can see where I'm going. These people got the stuff somehow, lived it, suffered and got back from it. These people would know every way it's been gotten and what happened.
This, i think, would get us on track toward a solution more than the politicians and stuffed shirts that don't have a clue only statistics and reports but not the down and dirty way of .... maybe you see where I'm going.
I haven't heard any of these people being used for the discussion.
.
Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Report this