Public shaming of drug addicts - Do you think its a deterant to drug use?

[Angel4Truth]

Drug overdose deaths overwhelm Maryland medical examiner’s office

The heroin epidemic is killing so many people in the state of Maryland that its medical examiner’s office is straining to keep up, which could threaten its accreditation. Autopsies in the state have grown 40 percent since 2010 – almost 100 more a year.

“Everyone continues to add on work hours and work faster and hopefully not take short cuts,” Dr. David R. Fowler, Maryland’s chief medical examiner, told the Baltimore Sun. “They absorb this extra load. But there is a point where they can’t continue to add to that and expect the system will function.”

580 new U.S. heroin users/day; 284% one year surge in Maryland #fentanyl deaths: https://t.co/qxdd9mmTqb$BICX$ALKS#opioidepidemic
— BioCorRx, Inc. (@BioCorRxInc) April 17, 2017

Medical examiner pathologists are accredited to carry out a set number of autopsies a year to ensure quality control and confidence in the results. The situation has implications for the criminal justice and public health systems, which rely on the autopsies in court cases.

“Maryland is currently fully accredited,” Peterson said. “But as is the case with many offices, it might be facing loss of that accreditation due to the intersection of caseload and staffing level.”

State pathologists are performing about 40 percent more autopsies than in 2010, almost 100 more per pathologist, and the toxicology lab runs nonstop, according to officials. There was no increase in examiners and the office struggles to hold on to support staff.

�� STATE OF EMERGENCY �� declared by #Maryland Governor Hogan. Heroin/Opioid Epidemic. Deaths have doubled. pic.twitter.com/VgTS89GaIy
— EastCoastAlert �� (@Eastcoastphotog) March 2, 2017

The office handled 14,385 cases in fiscal year 2016 for deaths caused by injury, homicide, or suicide and those that were untimely, suspicious, or not attended by a physician. The office performed 5,439 autopsies.

Deaths from drug overdose in the state rose to 1,468 in the first nine months of 2016, up from 1,259 for all of 2015, and more than twice as many as 2010. Of those deaths, 900 were related to heroin, and more than 700 related to fentanyl – a more powerful opioid that is often mixed with heroin.

In the first quarter of fiscal 2017, the agency’s pathologists were on target to perform 328 autopsies, exceeding the limit of 325 for maintaining accreditation.

The challenge is not limited to Maryland.

The combination of additional and more complex cases is overwhelming medical examiners’ offices across the country, particularly along the East Coast, leaving many on the verge of losing accreditation.

AP reported that the Connecticut medical examiner’s office had considered renting a refrigerated truck to store extra corpses, because its storage area had neared capacity at times.

In Wisconsin, the Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office sometimes had to put bodies on Army style cots in its refrigerated storage because it was running out of gurneys.

Ohio limits doctors to prescribing #opioids to 7 days https://t.co/5QvGU2SZlhpic.twitter.com/OzFfPpn596
— RT America (@RT_America) March 30, 2017

The Hamilton County coroner’s office in Cincinnati had a 100-day backlog of DNA testing for police drug investigations, largely because of increased overdose deaths.

Fatal drug overdoses double from 15 yrs ago – gov't study https://t.co/fK3TMXna46pic.twitter.com/3q8bctYXzA
— RT America (@RT_America) December 22, 2016

A record 47,055 people died from drug overdose in the US in 2014, according to the latest figures from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number was up seven percent from 2013, spurred by increases in heroin and opioid painkiller deaths.

 

[Angel4Truth]

How does surge in drug overdoses compare with other causes of death in the US?

How does the surge in drug overdoses compare with other causes of death in the United States?

It's so high that there is no comparison, as a New York Times interactive points out.

The interactive allows readers to draw their guesses on charts that show the increases and decreases in deaths over time due to car accidents, guns, H.I.V and drug overdoses.

If you want to guess, stop reading and test your knowledge here.

If you just want the facts, here it is:

Since 1990, the number of Americans who have died every year from drug overdoses has increased by more than 500 percent, according to The New York Times.

Related

More than 50 people fatally overdosed in Lancaster County in the first 3 months of 2017

In 2015, 52,404 people died of drug overdoses — 33,091 (63 percent) involved an opioid.

By comparison, there were 37,757 crash-related deaths and 35,763 gun-related deaths in 2015.

The widespread abuse of heroin and prescription painkillers — known as opioids — has pushed drug overdoses to an epidemic level.

On average, 91 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 1999, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids (including prescription opioids and heroin) quadrupled.

People ages 15-44 are particularly vulnerable — it's the age group in which drug overdose accounts for the greatest share of deaths.

The New York Times also mapped the percentage of deaths in 15-to-44-year-olds caused by drug overdoses. In Lancaster County, drug overdoses caused 22 percent of all deaths of those ages 15 to 44, according to the map.

By comparison, York County drug overdoses accounted for 32 percent of all deaths in that age group while drug overdoses accounted for 29 percent of all deaths in that age group in Lebanon and Chester counties.

Heroin, prescription painkillers and fentanyl claimed the lives of 117 people in Lancaster County in 2016. That’s more than twice the number in 2014 and 40 percent more than 2015.

This graphic below tells the grim story of the latest toll of opioids on our community.

So far 2017, more than 50 people have died of overdoses between Jan. 1 and March 31, according to Lancaster County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni.

During the same three months, Lancaster EMS, the county's largest emergency medical service, was called to 154 overdose cases across the county.

 

[Angel4Truth]

Police: Toddler found passed out on sidewalk from apparent drug overdose

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — Police who responded to a report of an Ohio toddler apparently passing out on a sidewalk from a suspected drug overdose in the middle of the night say she was treated at a hospital, and her parents are charged with child endangering.

Portsmouth police say a frantic person approached an officer Wednesday, shortly after midnight, seeking help for the 18-month-old girl, who was unconscious and having trouble breathing.

Police say the girl’s father and another person drove her to a hospital before the officer arrived at the scene in the Ohio River city, about 90 miles east of Cincinnati.

Police found the girl’s 26-year-old mother unresponsive from a suspected heroin overdose inside their apartment nearby. She also received medical treatment.

Court records didn’t list attorneys for the parents.

And the love of many will grow cold...

And they did not repent of their drugs...

 

[Angel4Truth]

Ohio girl calls 911 from back of SUV as parents overdose

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- A terrified Ohio girl had to call 911 from the backseat of an SUV after her parents overdosed on heroin.

The call was made to a 911 dispatcher in Cincinnati last Saturday, WLWT-TV reported.

"I'm scared," the girl told the dispatcher.

"I know you're scared, but you'll be o.k. It will be alright," the dispatcher responded.

The girl was unable to tell the dispatcher where she was -- so they kept her on the phone until they could trace her location. But more importantly, the dispatcher helped to keep the girl calm.

"Is the car still running?" the dispatcher asked.

"Yeah. I don't know how to turn it off," the girl responded.

"Is it parked?" the dispatcher asked. "Did your parents park before they passed out or not?"

"It was in drive but I put it in park," the girl told the dispatcher.

The girl was able to describe the neighborhood where she was -- and even used a boat parked in a front yard as a landmark for officers to hunt her down.

Police and EMS arrived just in time to revive the girl's parents with Narcan.

Paula Smith and Charles Dove are both facing charges.

The little girl, and a kitten she found in the neighborhood, were taken into protective custody.

"I found it on the street and it was all alone," the girl told the dispatcher of the kitten. "It liked me."

 

[Angel4Truth]

Children run for help as aunt overdoses at Akron home

AKRON, Ohio– An Akron woman is facing charges after police say she overdosed with two children in her home.

It happened on Kipling Street in Akron at about 11:30 p.m. on Monday.

Akron police said two girls noticed their aunt, 47-year-old Lisa. M. Thompson, had overdosed. The nieces, ages 10 and 4, ran to a nearby family member’s house to get help.

Officers and paramedics arrived and gave Thompson three doses of Narcan, a heroin antidote. She was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

Thompson was charged with two counts of endangering children. According to police, this is the fourth time she’s overdosed since July 1.

 

[Angel4Truth]

ND Legislature updates Good Samaritan law for drug overdose situations

BISMARCK—North Dakota lawmakers have approved changes to the state's Good Samaritan law that provides immunity to those reporting drug overdoses.

The Senate unanimously passed House Bill 1269 Tuesday, April 18, marking its final step before going to Gov. Doug Burgum. It says a person is immune from prosecution for drug possession charges if they, "in good faith," seek medical assistance for someone overdosing on drugs.

The bill eliminates the requirement that the person receiving immunity cooperate with law enforcement but says they must remain on scene until help arrives and cooperate with the medical treatment of the person who overdoses. It also clarifies that a person could avoid charges for "sharing" drugs "among those present."

Fargo defense attorney Brian Toay said the current law is too broad.

"If you and your friends get together and one guy has some drugs and shares it with a friend, they're considered a seller," he said. "So they're not granted immunity in that circumstance."

Toay said there was also some uncertainty about what it meant to cooperate with law enforcement under current law and whether that would include allowing a police search. He said many people know about the law, but they also recognize its limitations.

"And that's why they're not using it," Toay said.

Aaron Birst, executive director of the North Dakota State's Attorneys' Association, said they want people to seek medical help for overdoses rather than worry about criminal charges.

"This will give them some assurances that a prosecutor is not interested in going after them criminally," he said, adding that it's "narrowly tailored to help those people who are actually trying to get their friend help as opposed to just somebody who's profiting from drug sells and then walks away."

The bill removes the limit on the number of people who may be immune for any one occurrence, which current law sets at three. It also clarifies that the person must be in a "condition a layperson would reasonably believe to be a drug overdose requiring immediate medical assistance."

The bill's primary sponsor, Rep. Christopher Olson, R-West Fargo, said the law is another tool to respond to the surge of opioid overdoses in North Dakota.

"We want to save a life," he said.

Agree or disagree, and what if the "good samaritan" reporting the overdose is the dealer? Should they be excluded from prosecution then?

 

[Angel4Truth]

Wisconsin woman says viral video showing her overdosing saved her life

WAUKESHA COUNTY, Wis. – Video of a Wisconsin woman sitting unresponsive, mouth agape, as she overdosed in the driver's seat of her car later went viral – and she credits the video with giving her a second chance at life.

"I've always been a 'good kid,'" Katrina Henry told WITI. "I don't drink. I like to paint. I like to draw. I work out. I was a cheerleader throughout high school. I had an internship. I did research with my professor, and always had at least two jobs. I would have considered myself a very successful person," Henry said.

If you could hear how that picture was torn apart, how the pieces fell into the abyss of addiction and the will to survive slipped away, it would sound like this:

"I felt so alone. Worthless. Almost hopeless. I felt like I was never going to get help now. Like, who's going to help me now. It broke my spirit," Henry said.

The video was recorded on March 21st near Hopkins and Glendale in Waukesha, roughly 20 miles west of Milwaukee, after Henry crashed her vehicle into a parked car.

"They took me to the hospital, handcuffed me to the bed. I died. I overdosed and died," Henry said.

Henry said she doesn't remember much from what could have been the last moments of her life -- the overdose that nearly killed her, or the crash that certainly saved her.

"Nope, not at all," Henry said. "There was no driving and I'm starting to get tired or anything. Everything was black. I don't know how that happened."

Henry does remember well how she got hooked:

"I started using Percocets. A boyfriend of mine kind of got me into it. I didn't really know what they were, and so I started doing them with him and then when I wouldn't do them, all of a sudden I would get sick, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm addicted to these.'"

At first, she said, the pills helped erase what was inside:

"I've had a lot of bad things happen to me in my life, so it just kept building and building, and it was my only release. Or so I thought. Numb the pain. Took me away. Didn't have to deal with the pain. Didn't have to deal with feeling worthless, and like a failure and a loser, and I'd tell my mom -- I just feel like such a loser. I thought that I was doing everything to be successful in life."

The drugs, however, were deceptive. They turned on her, like an underground enemy. The more she did, the more worthless she felt -- a bigger failure, a bigger loser, all alone with her lie.

"I didn't want to admit it. I was lying. I was like 'I'm fine,'" Henry said.

Of course, she wasn't, but the warning signs weren't enough for her to admit her addiction.

"I started losing interest in things," Henry said.

Sliding into a deeper depression wasn't enough. Getting arrested wasn't enough. An armed robbery wasn't enough.

It wasn't until that day in March, when she was driving after snorting what she thought was cocaine, that she received her final warning -- recorded on camera for the world to see. The drug was likely laced with fentanyl. Within minutes, Henry's life began to slip away.

The viral video of her head bent back and her stumbling to life after being injected with Narcan spawned a tirade of hate on social media.

"I'm getting messages from people saying they wish I would have died. I think it was very cruel," Henry said.

Henry said she realizes the crash saved her life.

"As ashamed that I am that I hit that woman's car, I'm also glad. No one would have found me. I would have died there," Henry said.

And the video gave her a second chance.

"I don't think I would have taken it as seriously. In a split second your life can change," Henry said.

Her life actually changed the first day she did the Percocet.

"I had no idea what they'd do to me. I had no idea," Henry said.

On that day, the clock started ticking. The rest was just a matter of time. Looking back on that day, Henry had this message for others:

"You have no idea what's in those drugs. It could be anything. Drug dealers don't care what they're selling you. They're just trying to make money. They may not even know what it is. People my age, they just don't think anything of using drugs. I'm not using that as an excuse, but it kind of, to me, normalized it -- and I just want people to admit it and go get help. You don't need to be ashamed of yourself."

Henry said she believes it was the shame that held her back before the video went viral and she started talking about her addiction:

"I was so embarrassed. I always told myself that I would never end up like that. Talking makes you feel so much better. It makes you feel like you're not alone. I felt so alone, that I was the only one dealing with this problem, and that no one would understand. I don't feel hopeless and worthless anymore, and I know I was brought back for a reason, and I'm going to live up to my full potential. I'm not going to be feeling like a loser, feeling down on myself, feeling like I don't matter. I clearly do. I just had to have it taken away from me, or almost taken away from me, in order for me to feel like I am worth something. That maybe I am here for a reason."

As of Wednesday, April 19th, Henry was in her third week of therapy and drug treatment.

Video (warning language):

Spoiler

 

[Angel4Truth]

Happy Days actress Erin Moran 'died of suspected heroin overdose' in her trailer park home

 

[Saxon Hammer]

There are double standards a play here
1. Pop and film stars and other monied people
2. The rank and file people.

Group 1:
a: Can buy the best uncut drugs
b: Can trust their dealer because the dealer is being paid very well
c: Other peers trust the dealer

Group 2:
a: Pure drugs are very expensive - So the drugs are 'cut' by adding other substances (often causing death)
b: The aim is to get the best as cheap as possible leading to poor and cheap drugs
c: No one should trust a street dealer the are making money and fighting for turf

I have seen many pop and film stars (and children) going to rehab or dying and there is a commotion for a couple of days in the news. I have seen streets and towns where drugs can be obtained by talking to children as young as 10 years old. The celebrities are the very peak of this iceberg so much is happening below this that it should be newsworthy every day!!!!

Why are people SO unhappy? - OR - why are people 'chasing the dragon' so much?

It is an illness of society that has a solution but nobody thinks that making all drugs legally accessible and controlled (for purity and dosage etc) would be a GOOD idea. - I am one such Nobody

 

[Angel4Truth]

There are double standards a play here
1. Pop and film stars and other monied people
2. The rank and file people.

Group 1:
a: Can buy the best uncut drugs
b: Can trust their dealer because the dealer is being paid very well
c: Other peers trust the dealer

Group 2:
a: Pure drugs are very expensive - So the drugs are 'cut' by adding other substances (often causing death)
b: The aim is to get the best as cheap as possible leading to poor and cheap drugs
c: No one should trust a street dealer the are making money and fighting for turf

I have seen many pop and film stars (and children) going to rehab or dying and there is a commotion for a couple of days in the news. I have seen streets and towns where drugs can be obtained by talking to children as young as 10 years old. The celebrities are the very peak of this iceberg so much is happening below this that it should be newsworthy every day!!!!

Why are people SO unhappy? - OR - why are people 'chasing the dragon' so much?

It is an illness of society that has a solution but nobody thinks that making all drugs legally accessible and controlled (for purity and dosage etc) would be a GOOD idea. - I am one such Nobody

Drug abuse is no more an illness than having sex isnt a choice.

They are excuses. There is accountability.

The they cant help it, crap is why its so out of control now, its acceptable.

 

[Saxon Hammer]

Drug abuse is no more an illness than having sex isnt a choice.

They are excuses. There is accountability.

The they cant help it, crap is why its so out of control now, its acceptable.

So you are virgin?
You have never been addicted to a drug (prescribed or otherwise)?
You have not taken long term medication?
You have NEVER smoked or drank alcohol?
You have NEVER lashed out in anger?
You have never sinned?

You are saint?

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

 

[Angel4Truth]

So you are virgin?
You have never been addicted to a drug (prescribed or otherwise)?
You have not taken long term medication?
You have NEVER smoked or drank alcohol?
You have NEVER lashed out in anger?
You have never sinned?

You are saint?

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

yes, i was a sinner and needed salvation and i am who chose to commit the sins i chose to commit, no one made me, and it wasnt due to illness but due to my own selfishness, and Christ delivered me and can you too, now what?

 

[ok doser]

i smoked cigarettes regularly when i was younger (and stoopider)

knowing the addictive qualities of nicotine, i would periodically quit, totally and cold turkey, every year or so, just to be sure I could

when I finally quit for good at 30, when my first child was on the way, i had no problem

but i still had urges, as far out as seven years

 

[Saxon Hammer]

i smoked cigarettes regularly when i was younger (and stoopider)

knowing the addictive qualities of nicotine, i would periodically quit, totally and cold turkey, every year or so, just to be sure I could

when I finally quit for good at 30, when my first child was on the way, i had no problem

but i still had urges, as far out as seven years

I am still addicted and I am sorry to say that you nor I will ever be a Non-Smoker again (we will always be susceptible just like an ex-alcoholic). Sorry but we just have to walk forward as be we can.

 

[Saxon Hammer]

yes, i was a sinner and needed salvation and i am who chose to commit the sins i chose to commit, no one made me, and it wasnt due to illness but due to my own selfishness, and Christ delivered me and can you too, now what?

Sorry no I cannot deliver you - I would not know how I cannot see you whole.
I only ask that you understand that you can not be sure that you are NOT committing another sin more subtle and dangerous. Of course I hope I am not doing the same thing and only know that this is the most frightening, loving and glorious feeling that it must be the 'light' of what I am not certain.

 

[Angel4Truth]

Sorry no I cannot deliver you

?????????

Christ delivered me, and He can deliver you too. I sure wasnt asking you to save me.

 

[Saxon Hammer]

?????????

Christ delivered me, and He can deliver you too. I sure wasnt asking you to save me.

No I do not think Christ is around to do that job - So I am asking you to help me understand from my world point which as so far largely excluded christianity as a bunch of reasons NOT to help everyone in the world.

However, here I am seeking education, so what do you make for that?

 

[Angel4Truth]

No I do not think Christ is around to do that job - So I am asking you to help me understand from my world point which as so far largely excluded christianity as a bunch of reasons NOT to help everyone in the world.

However, here I am seeking education, so what do you make for that?

What would you like to know. Thats a good start. (Christ is always around - and you can know Him)

 

[Saxon Hammer]

What would you like to know. Thats a good start. (Christ is always around - and you can know Him)

New topic please - Now WELL off thread

 

[Angel4Truth]

New topic please - Now WELL off thread

I am the author of the thread. But thanks for being concerned.