Wow.
The Medical Examiner’s Office says more people are trying opioids and the drugs are getting stronger.
Official Milwaukee numbers are in through June and that time frame saw a 38% increase in opioid deaths from 2016.
The ME’s office says there are more strong synthetic opioids with no medicinal value in the market than ever before and they keep seeing one in particular causing deaths in the area.
“The latest one that we’ve identified cyclopropyl fentanyl. And that one seems to be making a good mainstay here in the area. We’ve had a good number of cases that contain that both mixed with other opioids and a number that are mixed with cocaine. So the number that could be impacting is broad and great,” says Sara Schreiber, Forensic Director.
The ME’s office says there have been about 200 opioid related deaths in Milwaukee County already this year.
Marijuana legalization should happen for a number of reasons. This is a significant one:
“Emergency room visits for opioid overdoses are on average 13 percent lower than states without medical marijuana programs.”
https://www.google.com/amp/amp.dailycaller.com/2017/03/28/opioid-abuse-is-plummeting-in-states-with-legal-marijuana/
Statistics are fun. Consider in Colorado, since 2008, there has been an 82% increase in hospitalization related to marijuana. Overall traffic fatalities in Colorado have gone down since 2007, they went up by 100 percent for operators testing positive for marijuana.
Marijuana is not legal but Colorado, like some other States decided to ignore the law. Other States have decided they do not like our Country’s immigration laws so they decided to ignore the law. Obviously, the end result is anarchy, which we are experiencing now.
Solving the opioid problem requires a complex solution. Ignoring the law is not part of it.
You’re right. Statistics can be bent around you to support a viewpoint. If you compile enough of statistic and present them in an honest way eventually you’ll paint a picture of something that represents a reality that sways public opinion enough to change law. Consensus is leaning toward legalization because it makes sense for a number of reasons.
What you can’t argue with is data. Since legalization Colorado has collected a $500M in tax revenue from canabis sales. That is real money that would have gone to criminals which can now be used to combat things like opiod abuse.
Changing the subject to $$ does not change the fact that States, Counties, City or just a group of people deciding what laws they like and do not like is anarchy. That is not how things work in the USA.
Most of the heroin the our Country comes from Afghanistan by way of Mexico. I would opine that the Afghan poppy production was significantly down during the time US troops were in-country. NAFTA, DACA, and other programs throwing the US border with Mexico wide open is probably a contributing factor. I would add I find it impossible to believe Colorado is collecting $500M and putting it all to combat opioid abuse.