davidsf
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Post by davidsf on Aug 28, 2019 6:17:27 GMT -8
We don’t discuss this much, probably because our politicians and our media doesn’t talk about it much. I don’t know if there IS a solution (do you?) but we can start off talking about Fentanyl, which the CDC calls the most dangerous of all the opioids. in 2017, Nebraska State Police seized 118 pounds of Fentanyl which, it was noted at the time, is enough to kill 28 million people. Then, in January, 2019, US Customs Agents in Nogales seized 254 pounds of Fentanyl and 395 pounds of Meth in the floor of a truck hauling cucumbers and trying to cross into the U.S.. But those busts were dwarfed by the Mexican government who seized over 51,000 pounds of Fentanyl headed for Culiacán, Sinaloa (where the Sinaloa Cartel is located), that originated in Shanghai, China. This amount was reported to be enough to kill 92% of the world population. so here are my thoughts: - Why can I not find articles or reports from the main media outlets on any of this. Closest I came was the above article in an Omaha newspaper that reported about President Trump honoring the Nebraska State Trooper who made the bust.
- Obviously Trumps criticism of China being a major contributor to the drug problem (which China denied and complained about) was accurate.
- What, if anything, can be done to win the drug war or even stem the flow substantially?
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Bick
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Post by Bick on Aug 28, 2019 7:40:56 GMT -8
Until drugs bear arms and start some offensive that needs to be defended, much in the same way weapons themselves would need to become self controlling, there is no enemy to defeat by virtue of a war.
Isn't the real question "why do people choose to escape reality by taking drugs?"
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SK80
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Post by SK80 on Aug 28, 2019 8:59:01 GMT -8
The bigger mystery is that "homelessness" get so much attention and if you ask the experts it is that most homeless have become mentally ill due to drug usage. The Democrats alway scream and cry foul at the end game and ignore the beginning or the "root" game. If you tackle the root of the problem it would elevate the "result" which is the problem or the problem they want to fix.
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slk230
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Post by slk230 on Aug 28, 2019 9:27:11 GMT -8
I don't get why they blame the drug companies instead of the doctors. The doctors are the only ones with the script pad.
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davidsf
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Post by davidsf on Aug 28, 2019 11:46:13 GMT -8
Until drugs bear arms and start some offensive that needs to be defended, much in the same way weapons themselves would need to become self controlling, there is no enemy to defeat by virtue of a war. Isn't the real question "why do people choose to escape reality by taking drugs?" I don’t see value in dissembling words. “The war on drugs” has become the cultural phrase used to describe our efforts to control, reduce, or eradicate the flow of drugs into the United States and the consequent abuse of those drugs by our citizens. At least that is how I use the phrase... although it seems almost a euphemism at this point because we (used to) talk abut it, but nothing really happens to stem the flow (that I can tell). |
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MDDad
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Post by MDDad on Aug 28, 2019 11:58:02 GMT -8
I don't get why they blame the drug companies instead of the doctors. The doctors are the only ones with the script pad. They blame the drug companies because there's plenty of blame to go around, and the big pharma companies are as culpable as anyone. They sold the dubious claim that opioids were effective for the treatment of long-term chronic pain, and many physicians jumped on board. When a company like Mallinckrodt ships 500 million opioid pills into Florida every year, a number 25 times the state's total population, they know exactly what is going on, but they turn a blind eye while they count their profits. The whole chain of greedy manufacturers, greedy distributors and unscrupulous physicians is a national disgrace. |
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Post by scarleg on Aug 28, 2019 13:32:25 GMT -8
This is a vicious circle of greed coming from all sides of the spectrum. The drug companies grease the pockets of our government and physicians make huge money from writing the scripts and when a lawsuit is filed a gaggle of lawyers are there to push everything back under the rug until the next go around and no matter which way it goes they make millions. None of them care how many people are effected or die. This is what our country has become. To give a drug company a $50 million dollar fine is like a joke but it looks good on the six o'clock news.
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Luca
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Post by Luca on Aug 28, 2019 15:57:14 GMT -8
As to Bick's initial question, I don't know that anything can be done to control the problem.
Prohibition was never able to stop the flow of alcohol.
All the existing laws do not stem the proliferation of firearms. Even if firearms were outlawed, the sales would just go underground and there would still be an enormous number available.
As long as people are willing to pay a bunch of money for a commodity, there will always be people willing to run the risk to supply the demand.
I don't know if the problem is corruption so much as it is the virtual impossibility of eradicating a well funded black market. It would be nice if we could place the blame on individual politicians or lawyers or corporations or doctors or the border patrol, etc., but I cannot believe it's that simple. They all play some limited role, but the primary responsibility and source of the problem lies with the consumers. There will always be such losers.
One of my favorite quotes was from an Israeli prime minister who once said something to the effect that "If a problem doesn't seem to have a solution, maybe it's not a problem. Maybe it's just reality."..................................Luca
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davidsf
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Post by davidsf on Aug 28, 2019 17:04:53 GMT -8
Point of order, Luca... that was my question.
Bick asked another, related question.
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Bick
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Post by Bick on Aug 28, 2019 18:20:38 GMT -8
Until drugs bear arms and start some offensive that needs to be defended, much in the same way weapons themselves would need to become self controlling, there is no enemy to defeat by virtue of a war. Isn't the real question "why do people choose to escape reality by taking drugs?" I don’t see value in dissembling words. “The war on drugs” has become the cultural phrase used to describe our efforts to control, reduce, or eradicate the flow of drugs into the United States and the consequent abuse of those drugs by our citizens. At least that is how I use the phrase... although it seems almost a euphemism at this point because we (used to) talk abut it, but nothing really happens to stem the flow (that I can tell). I've never really considered taking action on inanimate objects to be particularly effective. Prohibition wasn't very successful either, and wound up being the genesis of organized crime. Seems like the same thing has happened regarding drugs. So we can continue down the path of cat and mouse with the drug dealers, or work on getting potential end users to make different choices. I'd choose B. |
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RSM789
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Post by RSM789 on Aug 28, 2019 21:07:51 GMT -8
I believe it is a persons responsibility to behave properly (legally) within society. I also believe in personal freedom, that what a person chooses to do to themselves in the privacy of their own home is their right.
So, take all the drugs you want, smoke whatever you want and shoot whatever you want into your veins. If you can do that and still follow societal norms, more power to you. However, if doing any of those things makes you start crapping on the sidewalk & living in a tent, then you have a choice - Either be removed from society (mental institution, prison, electric chair, whatever) or stop doing whatever it is that is causing you to be a drag upon society.
It really is that simple.
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MDDad
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Post by MDDad on Aug 28, 2019 21:35:02 GMT -8
It really is that simple. Unless you're a Democrat. Then everything has dozens of layers of emotional and guilt-driven complexity, many of them at odds with one another, and no problem can ever be solved. It's also why they can't seem to manage and complete even the simplest projects. |
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