3 ms·

Mapping the spread of America's drug overdose epidemic

13 points by denzil_correa 10y ago

refurb 10y ago
What I find interesting is how drug preferences change over time. Back in the 1980's and 1990's it was cocaine (powder or crack), then it shifted to methamphetamine in the 2000's and now there is a big shift to heroin. Methamphetamine (amphetamines in general) was big back in the 1960's and 1970's, kind of went away, then came roaring back 30 years later. Heroin was a major problem back during the same time period, kind of went away (at least the amount of attention on it), then came back in the late 2000's. I think blaming the current popularity of heroin on prescription opioids makes sense, but I'd be curious what drives drug preference in other instances? Price? Availability?
- llamataboot 10y ago
  As a way-too-simplified answer, I would also posit that opiods in general kill pain, so you don't get shit done, but you don't care about getting shit done. Amphetamines in general provide some euphoria, though not as much as opiods, and provide energy, so one can get done a lot more stupid boring shit and work harder while still having a bit of fun doing it. Take that overly broad comment and apply it to socioeconomic trends as you will. In terms of rx opioid DEATHS which is what this is about(nothing here about prevalence of use), I would posit totally anecdotal possibly BS theories like this: most people that seek out heroin addicts and are addicts do heroin at least a little smartly. I'm not saying every junkie carries a bottle of Narcan, though I've known many that do, but when you are doing heroin in a group full of people and building up conventional wisdom over years, you know how much to take and what happens if shit goes sour. Prescription opiods on theother hand come with a doctor's signature that says - hey, this is basically safe, don't worry about it (in the mind of the user) -- your average 18 year old experimenting with drugs kid is much more likely to take a few too many oxys than inject too much heroin. Fentanyl is a whole different thing and pretty much, even though I'm a libertarian in terms of drug use and prohibition, I'd be happy to snap my fingers and make it go away. I /know/ it is useful as a pain reliever of last resort, but it is just so damn strong to be on the street, especially when not sold as Fentanyl. To put more simply, responsible use of all substances is possible, but requires both self-control and some knowledge about those substances. If I have to do some research about responsible dosing or I have friends around that do that research, I'm likely to stay within pretty safe margins. However, if I'm an opiate naive person that's given a few pills in a prescription bottle, I'm much more likely to think that they are "safe" even though they are functionally the same substance in my body. This may just be conjecture, but I've been around drug users and abusers my whole life, and have been dedicated to harm reduction, and I rarely have seen people be as reckless with heroin as they are crushing up oxys and doing lines.
- pnut 10y ago
  The popular drug of the age always seems to reflect the general mood, the zeitgeist of the time. I just assumed the era determined in what direction people generally choose to escape from reality, rather than economic factors. Go-go eighties. Tune in and drop out 60's, etc.
  - teslabox 10y ago
    The rise of heroin is probably related somehow to the legalization of cannabis (medicinal and 'recreational'). When organized crime's cash cow went away, they just picked new products to supply to their target market.
- maxerickson 10y ago
  I looked for some statistics and didn't find much with historical depth. In recent times, this shows the trend in heroin use: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_1943/ShortReport-1943.html http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_1943/S... I think there is probably an argument to be made that there isn't really a preference for heroin when ~0.5% of the population is using it, there is a fad (perhaps a different word would be more appropriate). Cheap, abundant supply would certainly help set the stage for such an occurrence.
- DKnoll3 10y ago
  The heroin spike starting in the 2000s almost certainly has to do with Afghanistan and black budget building cartel connections.
r00fus 10y ago
I wonder how this correlates with income inequality over the same period (using housing, gas prices and COLA as a simple yardstick) in those same regions.

13 points by denzil_correa 10y ago

What I find interesting is how drug preferences change over time. Back in the 1980's and 1990's it was cocaine (powder or crack), then it shifted to methamphetamine in the 2000's and now there is a big shift to heroin. Methamphetamine (amphetamines in general) was big back in the 1960's and 1970's, kind of went away, then came roaring back 30 years later. Heroin was a major problem back during the same time period, kind of went away (at least the amount of attention on it), then came back in the late 2000's. I think blaming the current popularity of heroin on prescription opioids makes sense, but I'd be curious what drives drug preference in other instances? Price? Availability?

llamataboot 10y ago
As a way-too-simplified answer, I would also posit that opiods in general kill pain, so you don't get shit done, but you don't care about getting shit done. Amphetamines in general provide some euphoria, though not as much as opiods, and provide energy, so one can get done a lot more stupid boring shit and work harder while still having a bit of fun doing it. Take that overly broad comment and apply it to socioeconomic trends as you will. In terms of rx opioid DEATHS which is what this is about(nothing here about prevalence of use), I would posit totally anecdotal possibly BS theories like this: most people that seek out heroin addicts and are addicts do heroin at least a little smartly. I'm not saying every junkie carries a bottle of Narcan, though I've known many that do, but when you are doing heroin in a group full of people and building up conventional wisdom over years, you know how much to take and what happens if shit goes sour. Prescription opiods on theother hand come with a doctor's signature that says - hey, this is basically safe, don't worry about it (in the mind of the user) -- your average 18 year old experimenting with drugs kid is much more likely to take a few too many oxys than inject too much heroin. Fentanyl is a whole different thing and pretty much, even though I'm a libertarian in terms of drug use and prohibition, I'd be happy to snap my fingers and make it go away. I /know/ it is useful as a pain reliever of last resort, but it is just so damn strong to be on the street, especially when not sold as Fentanyl. To put more simply, responsible use of all substances is possible, but requires both self-control and some knowledge about those substances. If I have to do some research about responsible dosing or I have friends around that do that research, I'm likely to stay within pretty safe margins. However, if I'm an opiate naive person that's given a few pills in a prescription bottle, I'm much more likely to think that they are "safe" even though they are functionally the same substance in my body. This may just be conjecture, but I've been around drug users and abusers my whole life, and have been dedicated to harm reduction, and I rarely have seen people be as reckless with heroin as they are crushing up oxys and doing lines.
pnut 10y ago
The popular drug of the age always seems to reflect the general mood, the zeitgeist of the time. I just assumed the era determined in what direction people generally choose to escape from reality, rather than economic factors. Go-go eighties. Tune in and drop out 60's, etc.
- teslabox 10y ago
  The rise of heroin is probably related somehow to the legalization of cannabis (medicinal and 'recreational'). When organized crime's cash cow went away, they just picked new products to supply to their target market.
maxerickson 10y ago
I looked for some statistics and didn't find much with historical depth. In recent times, this shows the trend in heroin use: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_1943/ShortReport-1943.html http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_1943/S... I think there is probably an argument to be made that there isn't really a preference for heroin when ~0.5% of the population is using it, there is a fad (perhaps a different word would be more appropriate). Cheap, abundant supply would certainly help set the stage for such an occurrence.
DKnoll3 10y ago
The heroin spike starting in the 2000s almost certainly has to do with Afghanistan and black budget building cartel connections.

r00fus 10y ago

I wonder how this correlates with income inequality over the same period (using housing, gas prices and COLA as a simple yardstick) in those same regions.