Doobie Doo
Veteran
Heroin deaths surpass gun homicides for the first time, CDC data shows
By Christopher Ingraham December 8 at 3:50 PM
involve a combination of drugs, often multiple types of opioids, or opioids in conjunction with other sedative substances like alcohol.
In a grim milestone, more people died from heroin-related causes than from gun homicides in 2015. As recently as 2007, gun homicides outnumbered heroin deaths by more than 5 to 1.
the first decline in American life expectancy since 1993.
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Congress recently passed a spending bill containing $1 billion to combat the opioid epidemic, including money for addiction treatment and prevention.
Much of the current opioid predicament stems from the explosion of prescription painkiller use in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Widespread painkiller use led to many Americans developing dependencies on the drugs. When various authorities at the state and federal levels began issuing tighter restrictions on painkillers in the late 2000s, much of that demand shifted over to the illicit market, feeding the heroin boom of the past several years.
DEA alert says Fentanyl is 'real threat' to law enforcement
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The Drug Enforcement Administration warns people about the dangers of Fentanyl, a synthetic opiod that can be 40 to 50 times stronger than heroin. (Drug Enforcement Administration)
Drug policy reformers say the criminalization of illicit and off-label drug use is a barrier to reversing the growing epidemic.
“Criminalization drives people to the margins and dissuades them from getting help,” said Grant Smith, deputy director of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance. “It drives a wedge between people who need help and the services they need. Because of criminalization and stigma, people hide their addictions from others.”
good. natural selection
shyt...
