Time to demand action to stop ravages of heroin
To the Times: Special Agent Gary Tuggle in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division announced on June 8, 2017, that 4,642 drugrelated overdose deaths were reported by coroners and medical examiners in Pennsylvania for the year 2016. That is a 37 percent increase in overdose deaths from 2015. That is a death rate of 36.5 deaths per 100,000 loved ones.
It is also 13 loved ones dying every day of prescription or illicit opioid present in 85 percent of overdose deaths in just Pennsylvania. Every 15-20 minutes someone passes from an overdose in our nation everyday.
Our youth ages 15-24 had an astounding 380 percent increase of Fentanyl-related death and there is a 970 percent increase of heroin-related overdose for our 25-34 age group. Just take a moment here. Look at these numbers. These are our youth, remember that. Whether you were legally prescribed or made a bad decision (dare you to say you never made a bad decision, ever) this age group is too important to lose in this time of American history. Who will be there to defend us? An entire generation is being wiped out.
Agent Tuggle said, “the Commonwealth of Pa. is in the midst of an Unprecedented Epidemic of drug abuse and drugrelated overdose deaths that impact every corner of the state and ALL its residents” Thank you Agent Tuggle for your work and report.
If this was Zika or Ebola what do you think would be happening?
It makes no difference how you “feel” or what you “believe about substance use, if 4,642 people were dying of anything else our country would be up in arms! Hospitals and treatment would open their doors. The National Guard would be called in. The world’s leading physicians would come together.
We should let our government leaders know we want action NOW!
The National Guard should come into every municipality and help by guarding our corners and taking people to treatment. Hospitals should take in and treat everyone; no one should be turned away. Insurance companies should pay as they would any other disease. (Yes, it becomes a disease of the brain, look it up). Doctors should study and help with the physical, mental and emotional pain people are in.
What about the Mothers, Fathers, Siblings, friends and extended family members of the thousands and thousands who have succumbed? We lived with and lost to something no one understands. We also have to live with the “stigma” related to our losses. It does not matter how we lost-we lost someone we loved and tried to help without resources that “acceptable” diseases get. We are emotionally, financially and physically depleted and grieving.
Why is our government not investigating? Who is making all the money by killing Americans everyday? This is terror. Shut down our borders only so we can deal with this American crisis. No more Fentanyl shipped in. Straighten out our treatment, insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Guard against illicit drugs being sold on our corners and treat our epidemic for what it is.
As I am writing this I got another message of a mother who lost her child in Delaware County. I guess it’s been 20 minutes.
I demand be done!
“If this was Zika or Ebola what do you think would be happening.” — Tricia Stouch
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