Guest Post: America's Failed War on Drugs
Erin DeLullo writes at her Substack The Poisoning on answers to the Fentanyl crisis coming from the demand side of the issue
Hi, friends, before I punch out for Christmas, I’m sending along a post from my friend and author of the excellent Substack, “The Poisoning”,
. If you’re not already, you should subscribe to her newsletter, an in-depth and reported look at the continuing Fentanyl crisis across the nation.Subscribe to “The Poisoning”, by Erin DeLullo.
Erin has been covering all facets of this issue and has an in-depth look from her interview with Fred Hampton, author of “Fentanyl Nation” on something which frequently gets missed in the national debate on Fentanyl and opioids, the demand side of the problem. (This piece republished with permission.)
I hope you and yours have a relaxing holiday season, I may post a thing or two in the coming week. But if you don’t hear from me before then, I look forward to catching you in the new year. As always, you can find me at tom@24sight.news.
Cheers,
Tom LoBianco
Editor and co-founder, 24sight News
America’s Failed War on Drugs
This week, I had the chance to interview Fentanyl Nation author Ryan Hampton.
As Hampton argues — and I tend to agree — Americans are rightly concerned about the supply side of the drug problem, but inadequately focused on reducing the DEMAND for drugs.
By allowing Big Pharma to advertise on TV — and by allowing them to basically skate on starting the opioid crisis, to begin with — we tacitly helped stoke demand.
Moreover, while there is lots of talk about closing the border and “getting tough on drug offenders,” there is far less focus on the kinds of treatments and education that might actually reduce demand in the long run.
Interestingly, Hampton tells me that some of the most innovative solutions are coming out of deep red counties in America. Check out this inspiring story about Chesterfield County, Virginia:
Of course, while focusing on stemming the supply and demand of drugs, another important mission is to keep victims of fentanyl poisoning alive long enough that they might have a chance to recover.
I always ask my guests if (and where) they keep Narcan. Hampton’s response was so funny AND substantive that I just had to share it with you:
As you can imagine, we have just scratched the surface of this wide-ranging conversation. Please watch our FULL conversation here:
News Roundup
THE NEW YORK TIMES: What RFK’s Approach to Addiction Gets Wrong
The U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Unveils Bipartisan Legislation
SOUTH DAKOTA: Record Drop In Overdose Deaths Connected To Narcan Use
MICHIGAN: New Drug Helps Michigan County Lower Overdoses Amid Fentanyl Crisis
MARYLAND: They entered treatment. Drugs, overdoses and deaths followed
NORTH CAROLINA: Mother Wants Justice After Children Die From Fentanyl
OHIO: Student Expelled After Fentanyl-Laced Gummies Passed Out At Cleveland Catholic School
KENTUCKY: 19-Year-Old Louisville Woman Charged With Manslaughter After 1-Year-Old Overdoses on Fentanyl
PENNSYLVANIA: 'Lethal Threat': Judge Sends Munhall Mom to Prison in Fentanyl Death of Son, 2
CALIFORNIA: Northern California Man Arrested After Toddler Suffers Suspected Fentanyl Overdose At Home
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Giant Companies Took Secret Payments to Allow Free Flow of Opioids
REUTERS: The shadowy ‘brokers’ helping Mexico’s cartels smuggle fentanyl chemicals from China
SOUTH DAKOTA: Rep. Johnson Introduces Legislation to Stop Fentanyl Trafficking from China
NEVADA: Toddler Survives Suspected Fentanyl Overdose: Guardian In Custody
MISSOURI: 7-Week-Old Was Dead Inside Drug House for Hours Before Police Were Called, Authorities Say
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Opioid Addiction Ravaged A Kentucky Town, Then Rehab Became Its Business
FOX: CDC Warns of Deadly Drug 100 Times More Potent Than Fentanyl, Overdoses Spike In Past Year
OHIO: Child Found in Car with 89 Fentanyl Pills During Orrville Traffic Stop
NPR: An Opioid Settlement Ruling Could Have Far Reaching Implications For Other Lawsuits
FLORIDA: Ocala Man Who Bragged About His Fentanyl Killing People Gets 14 Years in Prison
MICHIGAN: Health Officials Warn Freezing Temperatures Can Render Narcan Ineffective
CONNECTICUT: This CT Pharmacist Has Watched People Overdose From Fentanyl. He Wants Everyone to Have Narcan
COLORADO: Independent Intrafraternity Council at CU Boulder Does Not Offer Narcan to its 21 Fraternity.
NEVADA: While National Rates Dropped, Nevada Saw a 26% Increase In Drug Overdose Deaths. Why?
A Meme Worth a Thousand Words
Finally…
Thank you for reading this newsletter. And don’t forget to check out past episodes of the podcast, including conversations with:
Journalist Ben Westhoff, the author of 'Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Are Creating the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic.'
Tony Mattivi, Director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), shares his insights and experience.
Rolling Stone senior writer Paul Solotaroff authored a piece called “Inside Snapchat's Teen Opioid Crisis.”
Former Army Intelligence Officer Dale King uses CrossFit to treat addicts.
Ed Bisch, founder of Relatives Against Purdue Pharma RAPP, took on Big Pharma after his 18-year-old son Eddie overdosed on Oxycontin in 2001.
Dr. Kristin Martin, an accomplished osteopathic physician with extensive experience in emergency medicine, family medicine, and addiction medicine.
Former Alabama and Georgia strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochrantalks about his battle with addiction.
Charles Fain Lehman, a crime and drug policy researcher at the Manhattan Institute, discusses marijuana legalization.
Reuters senior correspondent based in Mexico, Drazen Jorgic.
Freelance journalist Philip Eil talks about his debut book, “Prescription for Pain: How A Once Promising Doctor Became the 'Pill Mill Killer.’”
Emmy-Winning and four-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality and chef, Andrew Zimmern talks about the hidden dangers of alcohol.
Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify or Apple. And please tell a friend.
Together, we can stop the poisoning!
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