Overdoses are taking a toll on our young people
It seems like everytime I turn around these days, there's another mention of the devastation wrought by the "opioid crisis,” and in particular the deadly consequences of fentanyl. What drives the decision to "use" in the first place? The hapless thrillseeker, or sad person hoping to be happy, or even a happy person who still wants more kicks, or a full-time user just looking for a solid fix, each becomes another victim. So much for the WAR on drugs. I've seen nothing major done about it, from the U.S. to Canada, everyone talks about the epidemic but WHAT is being done about it really?
Are people uninformed on the inherent dangers of using manmade drugs for fun? Taking a pill, powder, or capsule, orally or injected these days, has worse odds than if they were playing Russian Roulette. So people know that, right? Or they think they can trust their source, like Prince did for example. Talk to your kids, friends and family and get the message out not to even think of trying them.
If a person makes the decision to use that class of drug, it could turn out to be a fatal decision; only one allowed per lifetime. It all comes down to how infinitesimally small a dose of fentanyl is required to leave you in a cold morgue. The people moving fentanyl through the system until it gets to the "end users" hands, are all in it for one reason only - to make money.
When a kid dies from an overdose, they're gonna be gone forever, and except for the cheap kicks the poor kid was looking for, the only other thing that came out of it was the money made all the way up the line on the fentanyl.
The numbers of people in Peterborough and Toronto that I've known, or know of, who have died as a result these drug misadventures is tragic and disturbing, and has affected me personally. It boggles my mind how many funerals I've been too in the past few years, all related young people’s overdoses.
Now that weed is legal they should make mandatory sentences of those dealing in opiates like fentanyl a five-year prison sentence for first-time offenders and more if they are caught again. Jim Reedyk (Jimmy Light Show), Parkhill Road W.