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Philip Seymour Hoffman. Cory Monteith. River Phoenix. They all share at least two things in common: they were highly-paid actors…and they died from an overdose of heroin. Now, lawmakers are working to ensure that no one else suffers the same fate.
But their “solution” is a highly contested one….
In 2014, it was reported that 47,000 Americans died of drug overdoses. A whopping 60% of these deaths were from heroin (and/or prescription pill) use. With many of these deaths happening in places like back alleys and fast food bathrooms, some experts believe the carnage is partly due to the fact that no one was around to save them when they overdosed.
Consequently, these same leaders are advocating the installation of government-operated facilities where addicts can go to shoot up under the watchful eye of medical professionals such as doctors and nurses. The medical staff won’t be allowed to provide addicts with narcotics, nor help them with injections. Their role, should it be necessary, is to simply provide an antidote called Narcan which reverses the effects of an overdose.
New York Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, who’s spearheading the effort, said, “Things are getting out of control. We have to find things we can do for people who are addicted now.” She’s not alone in her thinking. Lawmakers from Maryland, California, and her own state, along with city officials in Seattle and San Francisco believe these facilities should be a reality.
Although these kinds of places already exist in countries like Canada, the Netherlands, and Australia, strong opposition to the idea is expected in America. “It’s a dangerous idea,” says John Walters, a drug officer in President George W. Bush’s administration. “It’s advocated by people who seem to think that the way we should help sick people is by keeping them sick, but comfortably sick.”
Those in opposition also point to the fact that when security guards at Massachusetts General Hospital began carrying Narcan injections during their shifts, the staff noticed an increase in addicts shooting up in their bathrooms and parking garages. Observations like these led former California Highway Patrolman Tom Lackey to state, “These facilities send a message that there is a safe use, and I don’t think there is any safe use of heroin.”
So, what’s the best “fix” for heroin fixes? Facilities that try to reverse overdoes…or institutions committed to curbing drug addiction in the first place?
Click here for the online report.
Topics Illustrated Include:
Addiction
Answer
Death
Disagreement
Drugs
Government
Habits
Law
Overdose
Politicians
Problem
Problem Solving
Risk
Solution
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
