In the last year or two, Ohio has seen a significant increase in heroin addiction and the deaths, crime, illness and ruined lives that go with it. Why the sudden problem? Some experts feel it’s largely due to prescription drug addiction and abuse, especially OxyContin addiction and addiction to other opiate painkillers. The OxyContin addiction problem started years ago in Ohio and other Appalachian areas – as well as across America - when Purdue Pharma let loose with their new, ‘safer’ painkiller. According to Purdue, it was less addictive, less likely to be abused, and less likely to cause withdrawal symptoms than other opiate drugs.
Doctors and patients alike, duped by the claims, made a beeline for OxyContin only to find out years later - after addiction and abuse had become rampant, after many people had died, after thousands who were unable to endure the pain of withdrawal found they couldn’t get off the drug - that Purdue had lied. In 2007, Purdue pled guilty to felony charges and was fined $634 million.
Years after the carnage began, with Purdue still thriving after paying a fine that was less than the profit they made on the drug, OxyContin addiction continues to rage like an angry bull through America. But, now, it’s harder to get. Doctors, knowing the truth, are less inclined to prescribe it and the drug is being stolen by health care employees, pharmacies are being robbed, addicts (and dealers who intend to sell the drug to others) are going from doctor to doctor feigning illness so they can get multiple prescriptions, and the price of OxyContin on the street has skyrocketed.
What’s the alternative? Heroin. It’s cheaper, it’s easier to get, and the horror stories are starting to fill the news. College students found dead in bathtubs, a 67-year-old woman dealing narcotics, a homeless woman dumping her stillborn baby in the trash for fear of prosecution when it’s found out she was using heroin while pregnant.
Our prison population has swelled with OxyContin and heroin-related crime, and thousands of lives have been ruined.
If we caught the 9/11 terrorists, would we accept $634 million as restitution? Would we fail to incarcerate them? Would we allow them to continue to operate as a cohesive group so they could go about their business? Would we allow them to continue selling and profiting from the same wares that ruined the lives of so many?
Not likely. But OxyContin addiction continues to rage, Purdue continues to profit, and now heroin addiction is added to the mix.
We spend billions fighting the war on terrorism but still support the continued operation of terrorists on our own soil. We accept their taxes, their bribes, their political contributions, and their votes, and treat them like upstanding Americans with our best interests at heart. What’s wrong with this picture?
If you or someone you care about already has a problem with OxyContin addiction or abuse, get them into a drug addiction treatment center for OxyContin rehab as soon as possible. OxyContin addiction is bad enough, but we now have even more proof that it can lead to heroin addiction. Which is uglier, still.
