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On Facebook here in the middle to upper class suburbs of Baltimore I see friends of friends OD and dying once a month. I don't understand why as growing up I d

On Facebook here in the middle to upper class suburbs of Baltimore I see friends of friends OD and dying once a month. I don't understand why as growing up I dont recall such an epidemic, yet I do recall a ton of don't do drugs type of education. Has all those type PSAs & education in schools cease to exist and or not as well funded as back in the 80s and 90s?

nfbush 10y ago
Rise in overdoses can be attributed to dealers adding fentanyl (an extrememly strong synthetic opiate) to their product. If a particular salesman has a product which people have reportedly overdosed on will flock to them as they must be selling a stronger product. Another scenario is where the chemical isn't there in the first place and the dealer is simply mixing fentanyl with a filler, due to it's extreme potency (a dose being less than a milligram), making even a small mistake in the mixing can lead to many overdoses especially with tolerant users used to taking larger amounts.
- pauljaworski 10y ago
  Fentanyl is actually being synthesized by the Mexican cartels now and added to the heroin before it even makes it to the street dealers. It's getting really crazy.
  - LargeCompanies 10y ago
    So Trump isn't so crazy on this whole wall issue .... I don't believe a wall is needed, but it should be used a hammer to get Mexico to clean up it's act for it's people. Canadians are not flooding into the US ... why are Mexicans then ... why isn't Mexico a place where it's citizens want to remain? Why are Mexicans as a whole not coming to the US high skilled like Indians are? Is their education system non-existent ... it's so corrupt your just struggling to live day to day? IF that's the case as Americans we shouldn't be angry about Mexico's lack of care for it's people due to those in power who are all about themselves/corrupt?
    - grzm 10y ago
      Immigrants are not flooding from Mexico to the US. The number of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico living in the US has been declining. These numbers are through 2014. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/03/5-facts-about-illegal-immigration-in-the-u-s/ http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/03/5-facts-abou... If you are aware of other stats contrary to this, please share. I'm more than happy to be corrected.
    - 9935c101ab17a66 10y ago
      This comment should be removed. None of the seven+ questions posed are worth answering, and many of them are fragrantly offensive. Get on a soapbox somewhere else (or not at all)
    - wz1000 10y ago
      > So Trump isn't so crazy on this whole wall issue .... A wall can't stop fentanyl. A single gram of fentanyl is good enough for somewhere on the order of 10^5 doses. It is a trivial matter to smuggle a few grams of substance into a country, wall or no wall. There are even stronger opioids making their appearance, such as carfentanil, which are 100 times stronger than even fentanyl. Only 19 grams of carfentanil a year are enough to satisfy current US medical demand for this substance. Walls or Mexico cannot stop the war on drugs and the lopsided, perverse incentives it sets up, and the thousands of lives it ruins. That is entirely up to the American public and their representatives.
    - justincormack 10y ago
      Walls don't keep drugs out. The corruption is largely due to the fact that the US keeps drugs illegal and in the hands of criminals while being the source of demand for drugs.
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]
    - LargeCompanies 10y ago
      Umm please read I do not think building a wall is needed. Also before you downvote I'd love to hear your thoughts as to why Mexicans come here illegally and in large quantities... why are they not staying in Mexico? Why is it not a country of wealth, opportunity and prosperity for its people like the US and Canada? Do you not think that's something worth questioning and trying to address/fix for all Mexicans?
- zkms 10y ago
  Opioid prohibition ruthlessly selects for opioids that have the highest effectiveness per unit volume -- because traffickers want to make the most profit on uncut material for the same amount of risk.
BurningFrog 10y ago
"Dreamland" is the book that explains all this: https://smile.amazon.com/Dreamland-True-Americas-Opiate-Epidemic/dp/1620402521 https://smile.amazon.com/Dreamland-True-Americas-Opiate-Epid...

nfbush 10y ago

Rise in overdoses can be attributed to dealers adding fentanyl (an extrememly strong synthetic opiate) to their product. If a particular salesman has a product which people have reportedly overdosed on will flock to them as they must be selling a stronger product. Another scenario is where the chemical isn't there in the first place and the dealer is simply mixing fentanyl with a filler, due to it's extreme potency (a dose being less than a milligram), making even a small mistake in the mixing can lead to many overdoses especially with tolerant users used to taking larger amounts.

pauljaworski 10y ago
Fentanyl is actually being synthesized by the Mexican cartels now and added to the heroin before it even makes it to the street dealers. It's getting really crazy.
- LargeCompanies 10y ago
  So Trump isn't so crazy on this whole wall issue .... I don't believe a wall is needed, but it should be used a hammer to get Mexico to clean up it's act for it's people. Canadians are not flooding into the US ... why are Mexicans then ... why isn't Mexico a place where it's citizens want to remain? Why are Mexicans as a whole not coming to the US high skilled like Indians are? Is their education system non-existent ... it's so corrupt your just struggling to live day to day? IF that's the case as Americans we shouldn't be angry about Mexico's lack of care for it's people due to those in power who are all about themselves/corrupt?
  - grzm 10y ago
    Immigrants are not flooding from Mexico to the US. The number of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico living in the US has been declining. These numbers are through 2014. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/03/5-facts-about-illegal-immigration-in-the-u-s/ http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/03/5-facts-abou... If you are aware of other stats contrary to this, please share. I'm more than happy to be corrected.
  - 9935c101ab17a66 10y ago
    This comment should be removed. None of the seven+ questions posed are worth answering, and many of them are fragrantly offensive. Get on a soapbox somewhere else (or not at all)
  - wz1000 10y ago
    > So Trump isn't so crazy on this whole wall issue .... A wall can't stop fentanyl. A single gram of fentanyl is good enough for somewhere on the order of 10^5 doses. It is a trivial matter to smuggle a few grams of substance into a country, wall or no wall. There are even stronger opioids making their appearance, such as carfentanil, which are 100 times stronger than even fentanyl. Only 19 grams of carfentanil a year are enough to satisfy current US medical demand for this substance. Walls or Mexico cannot stop the war on drugs and the lopsided, perverse incentives it sets up, and the thousands of lives it ruins. That is entirely up to the American public and their representatives.
  - justincormack 10y ago
    Walls don't keep drugs out. The corruption is largely due to the fact that the US keeps drugs illegal and in the hands of criminals while being the source of demand for drugs.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - LargeCompanies 10y ago
    Umm please read I do not think building a wall is needed. Also before you downvote I'd love to hear your thoughts as to why Mexicans come here illegally and in large quantities... why are they not staying in Mexico? Why is it not a country of wealth, opportunity and prosperity for its people like the US and Canada? Do you not think that's something worth questioning and trying to address/fix for all Mexicans?
zkms 10y ago
Opioid prohibition ruthlessly selects for opioids that have the highest effectiveness per unit volume -- because traffickers want to make the most profit on uncut material for the same amount of risk.

BurningFrog 10y ago

"Dreamland" is the book that explains all this: https://smile.amazon.com/Dreamland-True-Americas-Opiate-Epidemic/dp/1620402521 https://smile.amazon.com/Dreamland-True-Americas-Opiate-Epid...