Opioids are drugs that fall into a specific category of illegal and highly addictive substances like heroin or prescription painkillers such as Percocet or OxyContin.
There is currently a trend to view those addicted to these destructive substances as suffering and hapless victims. Those that spout this belief rail against incarceration and tout the benefits of understanding, compassion, and treatment.
Countless articles state that the way to treat opioid addiction is not to criminalize the addicts. It is said that that the effects of incarceration may harm the social order and family structure unnecessarily. It is also argued that imprisoning those that suffer is detrimental to their recovery.
One argument is that the DEA began targeting physicians twenty years ago which led to a decline of proper treatment which in turn led to prescription abuses and misuses; an excuse that provides an out for presumably respectable professionals.
Excuse me, but aren’t the people prescribing the medications poorly still DOCTORS WITH DEGREES!
How is an illiterate pusher any worse than an educated physician with doctorates? Isn’t the result the same in the end; a ruined life?
The opioid abuser is labeled a “pain sufferer” or a person with substance use disorder.
The following is an excerpt from an article written by Aaron Fox M.D., M.S.
“…a job, stable housing and positive social support — are explicitly impeded because of his criminal record. Employment discrimination based on a criminal record is illegal, but employers have long used questions on job applications to screen out formerly incarcerated individuals. In New York City, as in other places, a criminal record can bar public housing benefits. In 12 states, voting rights can be denied permanently due to a felony conviction.”
DUH!!
By comparison, for decades, communities of color have been systematically targeted and destroyed with a sanctimonious fervor by this country’s governing bodies and officials.
The terms used to describe these people differed wildly from those being used to describe opioid abusers.
They have been called criminals, thugs, scum, life-time offenders, beyond rehabilitation, genetically predisposed, and even “Super Predators”.
The prison industrial complex BOOMED under specifically designed laws intended to imprison the poor and addicted. It is still growing!
Politicians and police officials won elections and profited greatly by claiming to be “Tuff on Drugs”.
So…
Where was this compassion and forethought when the Three Strike Laws were being implemented and endorsed by the Clintons?
Where was the realization that help was the proper path to take as opposed to military-like tactics?
Where was the desire to treat troubled individuals with some iota of human dignity at that time?
It can be boiled down to a racial component.
What was once referred to as a “War of drugs” against criminals in now characterized as a “Crisis” for the victims.
Unlike drug epidemics of the past, minority populations have seen a less dramatic increase in drug addiction and deaths compared to young white adults. The rate of heroin use among white adults increased by 114% between 2004 and 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate among nonwhite adults remained relatively unchanged during that same period.
“It would appear that someone prescribing drugs may be more concerned about the possibility of the patient getting addicted or maybe the possibility that the pills will be diverted and sold on the street if the patient is black. If the patient is white, they may feel like there’s less to worry about,” said Dr. Andrew Kolodny, executive director of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing.
Some believe that the reasoning may be that white patients have traditionally had greater access to healthcare services compared to minority patients, increasing their likelihood of receiving pain treatment.
Policies are being implemented around the country to benefit/protect addicts like needle exchanges, and hypodermic dispensers. What services were implemented to assist those that became part of the prison system that quadrupled over the last 30 years?
It is clear that there is an inherent belief system in place that allows for the demonization of one section of society and calls for the protection of another.
The idea here is not to condemn those that argue for the decriminalization of non-violent and minimal drug offenses, but rather to highlight the hypocrisy and inherent racial bias that exists so that parity can be achieved.
