Op-Ed: America’s trashy drugs Ice and Fentanyl don’t even need to kill you – Digital Journal

Family and friends of people who died after being poisoned by pills containing fentanyl protest near the California headquarters of Snapchat -- the social media firm has vowed to crack down on drug dealing that has proliferated on the platform - AFP / File photo / TAUSEEF MUSTAFA

The two major drugs of choice of self-besieged America are now effectively classified as totally uncool in every possible way. Theyre considered totally worthless, total garbage by anyone who knows anything about them.

Ice and Fentanyl are destroying people at a rate of about a Vietnam War per year in deaths alone. Theyre trashing many more lives with their addictions. These miserable attempts at recreational drugs qualify as nothing more than poisons and mental health destroyers.

In a new book, an obviously patient researcher and author called Sam Quinones outlines the true scope of the problem, maybe too well, in his interview with The Guardian. The new book is called The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth. Theres some interesting background on how the addiction plague happened and snowballed, too.

Quinones is one of an ever-dogged, ever-spreading army of people trying to fight these murderous drugs with little or no help from media, government, or anyone else. The gigantic synthetic drugs problem, like all Americas woes, has been buried in the media under endless political blunders, tantrums, and failures. As usual, absolute drivel is getting priority over human realities. In this case, its obscuring the trashing of large numbers of Americans on a daily basis.

The appalling truth about the effects of these drugs, however, is easy enough to find. Theres a virtual statistical trail of destruction:

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Deaths from overdoses from all causes have been above Vietnam War fatalities since about 2015.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Methamphetamine use and exposure in the US data

British Medical Journal 100,000 people in the US died from overdoses including 75K+ from opioids.

American Addiction Centers Basic information about methamphetamines effects and addiction.

American Addiction Centers A particularly grim explanation of how meth use leads to addiction, and its effects on mental health.

National Library of Medicine A staggeringly brief but truly scary description of the effects of psychological and physical damage from meth.

A virtual encyclopedia of negative information about Fentanyl From just about every health authority on Earth. Except as a painkiller, this stuff is just plain dangerous.

If all this very basic information makes the point that these drugs are truly bad, that was the good news. The news for users is a lot worse.

The somewhat less good news is that Fentanyl is a cheap nasty high that only lasts for a short time, like that other now out-of-fashion drug for geniuses, crack. Crack is the thematic ancestor of Fentanyl and meth. Like crack, both Fentanyl and meth can be cut to pieces with damn near anything.

Its literally the oldest trick in the book in the drug trade Cut whatever it is with whatevers available. You could be smoking anything that looks remotely like whatever it is you think youre buying. This adds a further level of unpredictability, as well as toxicity, to these drugs.

Better still, Fentanyl and meth are now made synthetically from a vast range of toxic substances. There is absolutely no way of knowing what youre actually taking. Its about as smart as it sounds.

Fentanyl is insidious and pervasive. It can be added to anything smokable, including meth, simply because its so potent. You could literally be smoking cat droppings and get a high out of it. Join those dots and you wont like what you see. Yes, you guessed it That also drastically increases your chances of overdose and addiction. Lucky you.

In the hippie days, there was a saying Dope will get you through times of money better than money will get you through times of no dope. That saying now needs some pretty drastic modification.

Both Fentanyl and meth soon become expensive, because you have to keep buying to avoid withdrawals with daily doses. The new saying should be: Times of no dope are times of no money and vice versa. People have routinely become homeless feeding their habits, as Quinones cites graphically in his interview with The Guardian.

These drugs dont need to kill you

These arent mystic drugs by any means. Theyre simple dopamine triggers, and thats it. Forget about expanding consciousness with these sloppy, revolting little chemistry lessons. Youre more likely to be expanding massive holes in your wallet, relationships, and your ability to cope with The American Rapture of social meltdowns and dysfunctions.

If you enjoy poverty, addiction will make it so much more interesting. Nothing like a totally unnecessary expense and high risks of injury to make poverty a lot worse while turning into a physical and mental train wreck. But the entertainment doesnt stop there.

As usual, the fact that you can make money out of selling ice and Fentanyl has made these extremely high-risk drugs street currency. That can mean a lot of desperate people getting themselves into some genuinely lethal situations.

Strangely, some people dont like their friends dying of whatever garbage theyve been sold. Join the dots. If you want to be in real trouble with a lot of people, thats how. It wont (and cant) end well.

Then theres the little matter of finding money to score when you run out of money. Yep, selling your stuff is the usual option, followed as usual by stealing other peoples stuff. Thatll make you pretty popular with your friends, family, courts, street superheavies, and the police.

Its all just one big ride to Disneyland, isnt it? Just think For no reason at all you can trash your whole life and spend years undoing the damage if you can undo it at all.

Stay away from this crap.

Dont get yourself into situations you cant get yourself out of.

No friend would put you at this sort of risk.

If youre looking for help in the US, talk to American Addiction Centers.

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Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.

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Op-Ed: America's trashy drugs Ice and Fentanyl don't even need to kill you - Digital Journal