<html><head></head><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px"><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14047"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15119" size="5"> I've pasted below an informative and skeptical article about the opioid epidemic from Counterpunch, as well as my query to the author and his response. I must admit I've been gullible about the data on the opioid epidemic (which of course relates to Rust Belt counties that voted for Trump), and Sal Rodriguez offers an appropriate antidote, so to speak, that should be of great interest to the activist community. DG</font></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14049"><font size="5"><br></font></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14050"><font size="5">____________________</font></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14059"><font size="5"><br></font></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14060">
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14618" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 19.4pt;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14619" style="margin: 0px;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14620" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(30, 30, 30);"><font size="5">March 17, 2017</font></span></span><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14621" style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(30, 30, 30); font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif;'><font size="5"> </font></span></div>
<h1 id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14622" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px 10px; line-height: 25.5pt;"><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14623"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14624" style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(30, 30, 30); font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif;'><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14625" href="http://www.counterpunch.org/2017/03/17/manufactured-opioid-crisis-a-ploy-to-salvage-war-on-drugs/"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14626" style="margin: 0px; color: black; text-decoration: none;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15461" size="5">Manufactured
Opioid Crisis: a Ploy to Salvage the War on Drugs</font></span></a></span></b></h1>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14627" style="margin: 0px 0px 20px 10px;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14628" style="margin: 0px;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14629" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 10.5pt;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14630" color="#111111" face="Arial" size="5">by</font></span></span><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14631" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14632" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> </font></span><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14633" style="margin: 0px;" itemprop="author"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14634" style="margin: 0px;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14635" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14636" href="http://www.counterpunch.org/author/sal-rodriguez/"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14637" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(30, 30, 30);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15463" size="5">Sal Rodriguez</font></span></a></span></span></span><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14638" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14639" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> </font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14640"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14641" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14642" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">In case you haven’t heard,
there’s an opioid crisis in America.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14643"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14644" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14645" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">With </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14646" href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/196550/support-legal-marijuana.aspx?g_source=POLITICS&g_medium=topic&g_campaign=tiles"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14647" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14648" face="Georgia" size="5">majorities</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14649" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> of Americans now clearly </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14650" href="https://www.mpp.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Quinnipiac-Poll-Feb-2017.pdf"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14651" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14652" face="Georgia" size="5">supportive</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14653" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> of marijuana legalization, opioids,
a class of drugs used for thousands of years to treat pain and other ailments,
have become the latest target of drug warriors and do-gooders alike.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14654"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14655" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14656" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">“Our nation is in the throes of
a heroin and opioid epidemic,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Wednesday.
“Overdose deaths more than tripled between 2010 and 2014. According
to the CDC, about 140 Americans on average now die from a drug overdose each
day. That means every three weeks, we are losing as many American lives to
drug overdoses as we lost in the 9/11 attacks.”</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14657"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14658" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14659" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">Indeed, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14660" href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm655051e1.htm"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14661" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14662" face="Georgia" size="5">33,000</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14663" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> Americans lost their lives in 2015 due
to opioid-related overdoses, including 12,989 deaths associated specifically
with heroin.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14664"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14665" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14666" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">Candidate Donald Trump </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14667" href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/769539271678013440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14668" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14669" face="Georgia" size="5">suggested</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14670" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">, of course, a </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14671" href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trump-remarks-in-portsmouth-nh"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14672" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14673" face="Georgia" size="5">border wall</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14674" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> would help solve the problem,
while President Trump has </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14675" href="http://time.com/4677394/donald-trump-opioid-epidemic-and-rising-drug-costs/"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14676" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14677" face="Georgia" size="5">complained</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14678" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> America is a “drug-infested”
country where “drugs are becoming cheaper than candy bars.”</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14679"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14680" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14681" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">On the other side of the aisle,
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has gone so far as to call for
a </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14682" href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/20/politics/joe-manchin-war-on-drugs/"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14683" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14684" face="Georgia" size="5">new war on drugs</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14685" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> to combat apparent problem of
opioid use, abuse and overdoses.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14686"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14687" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14688" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">With so many Americans dying,
it’s important to clarify a few things about opioids, the folly of knee-jerk
government reaction and the need for harm reduction.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14689"><strong id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14690"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14691" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Georgia",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14692" color="#111111" size="5">The
exaggerated danger of opioids</font></span></strong></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14693"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14694" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14695" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">Despite their reputation,
opioids are neither especially addictive nor dangerous on their own.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14696"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14697" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14698" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">Research has consistently shown
that few individuals who are prescribed opioids ever actually develop a problem
with them. A 2016 study by Castlight Health, Inc. suggested only about </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14699" href="http://www.castlighthealth.com/press-releases/new-study-reveals-32-percent-of-total-opioid-prescriptions-are-being-abused/"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14700" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14701" face="Georgia" size="5">4.5 percent</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14702" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> of individuals who receive opioid
prescriptions are abusers. A 2010 Cochrane </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14703" href="http://www.cochrane.org/CD006605/SYMPT_opioids-long-term-treatment-noncancer-pain"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14704" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14705" face="Georgia" size="5">review</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14706" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> of 26 studies found reports of opioid
addiction in only 0.27 percent of patients.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14707"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14708" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14709" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">Meanwhile, guidelines issued by
the CDC in 2016 for prescribing opioids for chonic pain cited another study
which followed chronic pain patients who received opioid prescriptions for 13
years. The study found that “one in 550 patients died from opioid-related
overdose” over the 13 years, which upon reflection is a remarkably low rate
considering the demographic involved.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14710"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14711" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14712" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">As for the dangerousness of
opioids, one variable often left out in discussions of opioid overdose is the
fact that opioid overdoses tend to involve multiple drugs.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14713"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14714" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14715" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">A 2014 report from the CDC
based on nationwide emergency room data noted that alcohol was involved in 22.1
percent of deaths related to opioid pain relievers, but conceded the figure
could be higher, given wide varieties in how states and localities collect and
report toxicology data.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14716"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14717" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14718" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">Other, more focused studies
have found incredibly high rates of drug mixing at play in opioid overdoses. A
2015 paper looking into opioid overdoses in </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14719" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26077643"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14720" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14721" face="Georgia" size="5">San
Francisco</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14722" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> from 2010-2012 found that 74.9 percent of opioid overdose
deaths involved other drugs, including cocaine (35.3 percent), benzodiazepines
(27.5 percent) and alcohol (19.6 percent). Likewise, </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14723" href="https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/epi/databrief74.pdf"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14724" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14725" face="Georgia" size="5">data</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14726" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> from the New York City Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene noted that “nearly all (97 percent) overdose deaths
involved more than one substance.”</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14727"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14728" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14729" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">With respect to heroin
specifically, as a 2003 </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14730" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3456279/pdf/11524_2006_Article_206.pdf"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14731" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14732" face="Georgia" size="5">article</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14733" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> published in the Journal of Urban
Health explained, “The overwhelming majority of overdoses, both fatal and
nonfatal, involved the concomitant consumption of heroin with other drugs. The
extensiveness of polydrug use among ‘heroin’ over-doses suggests that ‘polydrug
toxicity’ is a better description of the toxicology of overdose.”</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14734"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14735" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14736" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">Rarely do mainstream media
reports of the opioid crisis mention the prevalence of polydrug toxicity –
except for the occasional surge in excitement over </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14737" href="http://www.drugpolicy.org/resource/fentanyl-and-synthetic-opioids"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14738" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14739" face="Georgia" size="5">fentanyl</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14740" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">, a highly potent opioid which
unscrupulous drug dealers sometimes put into heroin to strengthen its effects.
(Naturally, the mixture of fentanyl with heroin is more an unintended
consequence of prohibitionist drug policies and a resistance to harm reduction
approaches than anything else.)</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14741"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14742" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14743" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">Of course, it is much more
politically lucrative to exaggerate the risk and danger of opioids than to
acknowledge the relatively low risk of addiction and the likelihood that harm
reduction efforts (like warnings against mixing opioids with other drugs) might
save lives.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14744"><strong id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14745"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14746" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Georgia",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14747" color="#111111" size="5">Government
policies turned people to heroin</font></span></strong></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14748"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14749" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14750" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">As the prescription and use of
opioids surged in the first decade of the 2000s, so too did the number of
people seeking addiction treatment and experiencing overdoses. Rather than take
a measured approach, government officials instead pursued </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14751" href="http://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/DPA_Health_and_Safety_Approach_to_Opioid_Use_and_Overdose.pdf"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14752" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14753" face="Georgia" size="5">policies</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14754" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> aimed at restricting access to
prescription painkillers, criminalizing and arresting doctors and patients in
the process.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14755"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14756" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14757" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">The continued rise in overdose
deaths only indicates these approaches haven’t worked to curtail abuse or death
from opioid use and misuse.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14758"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14759" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14760" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">Instead, individuals who
previously used pharmaceutical opioids have increasingly been pushed towards
heroin use, with heroin use in the United States the </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14761" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/heroin-use-in-u-s-reaches-alarming-20-year-high/"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14762" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14763" face="Georgia" size="5">highest</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14764" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> its been in 20 years. According
to the Drug Policy Alliance, “Ninety-four percent of opioid-addicted
individuals who switched from prescription opioids to heroin reported doing so
because prescription opioids ‘were far more expensive and harder to obtain.’”</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14765"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14766" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14767" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">Of course, for people who have
switched from pharmaceuticals to heroin due to lack of access to legal pain
medication, or those who abuse either pharmaceuticals or heroin for whatever
reason, government policy has only made them less safe.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14768"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14769" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14770" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">And there’s plenty of reason to
believe government policies have only made opioid and heroin use less safe than
before. The increased number of deaths reported in 2016 happened despite </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14771" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/21/health/opioid-prescriptions-drop-for-first-time-in-two-decades.html?_r=0"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14772" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14773" face="Georgia" size="5">decreases</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14774" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> in the number of opioid
prescriptions and the </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14775" href="https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-DetTabs-2015/NSDUH-DetTabs-2015/NSDUH-DetTabs-2015.pdf"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14776" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14777" face="Georgia" size="5">number</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14778" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> of heroin users.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14779"><strong id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14780"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14781" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Georgia",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14782" color="#111111" size="5">Harm
reduction</font></span></strong></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14783"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14784" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14785" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">Despite the well-documented
role of </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14786" href="http://hams.cc/polydrug.pdf"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14787" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14788" face="Georgia" size="5">polydrug
use</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14789" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> opioid overdoses, it’s unlikely we’ll see proclamations from
Jeff Sessions or Trump or any other prominent politicians warning people to
engage in harm reduction when using opioids by foregoing alcohol,
benzodiazepines or any other contraindicated drug that could heighten the risk
of harm or death from opioid use.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14790"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14791" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14792" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">Other ideas include getting
allowing individuals with chronic pain to access the medication they need
without criminalizing their ailment or threatening their doctors with
prosecution. Or allowing the operation of </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14793" href="http://thefederalist.com/2017/02/16/why-safe-injection-sites-for-drug-addicts-should-be-legal/"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14794" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14795" face="Georgia" size="5">safe injection sites</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14796" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> and expanding access to
medication-assisted treatment and access to syringe exchange programs and
naloxone, which can effectively reverse opioid overdoses.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14797"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14798" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14799" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">Of course, a border wall won’t
solve the problems associated with opioid use and abuse, nor will an expansion
or perpetuation of prohibitionist policies. Yet, Trump’s budget proposal
includes $175 million in increased expenditures for the Department of Justice
“to target the worst of the worst criminal organizations and drug traffickers
in order to address violent crime, gun-related deaths, and the opioid
epidemic.” It also, of course, includes calls for billions of dollars for his
beloved wall. Furthermore, Jeff Sessions’ public </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14800" href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-jeff-sessions-delivers-remarks-efforts-combat-violent-crime-and-restore"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14801" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14802" face="Georgia" size="5">proclamations</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14803" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> have overemphasized the role of
enforcement and drug abuse prevention ideas from the ’80s and ’90s.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14804"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14805" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14806" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5">Alas, the nation’s massive
anti-drug bureaucracies and agencies need some way to stay afloat, even though
their entire mission is predicated on the fraudulent idea that drug prohibition
and enforcement will keep Americans safe and drug-free. Anti-drug crusades
predicated on saving people from themselves or sinister chemicals may be
dressed up in good intentions, but as history has shown, they are little more
than ruses to further expand government intervention in our lives and bloat the
budgets of government agencies.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14807" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; line-height: 19.4pt;"><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14808"><u id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14809"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14810" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(58, 87, 149);"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14811" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14812" face="Calibri" size="5"> </font></span></span></u></b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14813" style="margin: 0px 0px 20px 10px;"><strong id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14814"><i id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14815"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14816" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Georgia",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14817" color="#111111" size="5">Sal Rodriguez</font></span></i></strong><em id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14818"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14819" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Georgia",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14820" color="#111111" size="5"> is a
contributing writer at </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14821" href="http://solitarywatch.com/"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14822" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font size="5">Solitary Watch</font></span></a><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14823" color="#111111" size="5">. He writes frequently on
criminal justice reform and can be reached at:</font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14824" href=""><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14825" style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(221, 0, 0);"><font size="5">sal.solitary@gmail.com</font></span></a></span></em><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14826" style="margin: 0px;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14827" color="#111111" face="Georgia" size="5"> </font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14828" style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;background:white">
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14829" style="background: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0in; border: medium; border-image: none; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14830" style='margin: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;'><font size="5"> </font></span></div>
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14831" style="background: white; margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14832" style='margin: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;'><font size="5"> </font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14833" style="background: white; margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14834" style='margin: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;'><font size="5"> </font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14835" style="background: white; margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14836" style='margin: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;'><font size="5">Hi Sal,</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14837" style="background: white; margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14838" style='margin: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;'><font size="5"> </font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14839" style="background: white; margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14840" style='margin: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;'><font size="5">Thank you for the informed and enlightened article on
Counterpunch. I must admit I've taken he bait, so to speak.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14841" style="background: white; margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14842" style='margin: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;'><font size="5"> </font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14843" style="background: white; margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14844" style='margin: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15161" size="5">But I have wondered about the color-coded maps that highlight
counties with increased opioid overdose deaths. I think they're likely
deceptive, because they are often large area counties with low populations.
They never give you an idea of the proportion of U.S. population that lives in
these counties. </font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14845" style="background: white; margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14846" style='margin: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;'><font size="5"> </font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14847" style="background: white; margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14848" style='margin: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;'><font size="5">For example: </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14849" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/07/us/drug-overdose-deaths-in-the-us.html?_r=0" target="_blank"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14850" style="margin: 0px; color: blue;"><font size="5">https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/07/us/drug-overdose-deaths-in-the-us.html?_r=0</font></span></a></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14851" style="background: white; margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14852" style='margin: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;'><font size="5"> </font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14853" style="background: white; margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14854" style='margin: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;'><font size="5">Regards,</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14855" style="background: white; margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14856" style='margin: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;'><font size="5"> </font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14857" style="background: white; margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14858" style='margin: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Garamond",serif;'><font size="5">David Green</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14859" style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14860" style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0in; border: medium; border-image: none; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14861" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;'><font size="5"> </font></span></div>
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14862" style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14863" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;'><font size="5">Hi David,</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14864" style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14865" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;'><font size="5">Thanks for writing. </font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14866" style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14867" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15199" size="5">I think you're correct that there is something deceptive
with the color-coding in that it reflects large/low-populated areas a
particular prominence, in much the same way maps that show, for example,
electoral breakdowns where one is left with the impression that Republicans or
Democrats are overwhelmingly popular. (These are the sort of maps I'm talking
about: </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14868" href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/dec/04/mike-pence/mike-pence-says-donald-trump-won-most-counties-rep/" target="_blank"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14869" style="margin: 0px; color: blue;"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15201" size="5">http://www.politifact.com/
truth-o-meter/statements/2016/ dec/04/mike-pence/mike-pence-
says-donald-trump-won-most- counties-rep/</font></span></a><font size="5"> )</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14870" style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14871" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15203" size="5">Such maps are revealing something - but naturally we have to
dig deeper to really get a sense of things.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14872" style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14873" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15205" size="5">For one, there's no doubt more people are dying than before.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14874" style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14875" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15207" size="5">Part of this is because the period between 2003 and 2014
(the period covered by the color-coded maps) there were increases in the
numbers of both people prescribed opioids and people using heroin. Naturally, a
larger set of people engaging in certain risky behaviors will lead to greater
numbers of people subject to risks.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14876" style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14877" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15244" size="5">But then we get to some of the points I raised in my
article. <br id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14878">
<br id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14879">
We have a lot of people shifting from prescription opioids to the black market
as a direct result of government efforts to, as the article you linked stated,
"address the misuse of prescription painkillers" - which is to say,
setting caps on the number of prescriptions/numbers of pills and arresting doctors
and pharmacists in the process.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14880" style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14881" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15285" size="5">As we have more total numbers of people using opioids for
recreation or legitimate reasons, we also have a larger set of people who are
at risk of avoidable issues like drinking alcohol or taking benzodiazepines or
other drugs which put them at risk of opioid overdoses. Reviewing the CDC's own
website on the epidemic, they bury information about the problems of drug
mixing. </font><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14882" href="https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/" target="_blank"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14883" style="margin: 0px; color: blue;"><font size="5">https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/</font></span></a></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14884" style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14885" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15317" size="5">And then we have the problem of more people entering the
black market - and the risk of unscrupulous drug dealers adding fentanyl to
heroin; and the perennial problem of street heroin varying widely in purity. </font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14886" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14887" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15324" size="5">So, those maps are telling us something,
but not as much as we need to really drill down into what's going right and
wrong.</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14888" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14889" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;'><font size="5"> </font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14890" style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14891" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15532" size="5">Regards,</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14892" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14893" style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;'><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_15533" size="5">Sal</font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14894" style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;" dir="ltr"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489936258857_14895" face="Calibri" size="5"> </font></div>
</div></div></body></html>