Meth Mayhem: When will it stop being treated as a "Mental Health Crisis" and be properly addressed as a "Threat To Society"?

[Resist_This]

BUT, But, but......
Maxine Waters said drug trafficking (crack cocaine).......is due to the CIA. And, she keeps getting re-elected. So, the allegations must be TRUE.

Rrrrright? Note the many criminal indictments of CIA officials?

Aloha, Mark

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

It wouldn't surprise me

 

[mrblond]

A slightly cold solution would be to just give them all the dope they want. The problem should fix itself.

 

[Slobray]

In WA, they have something like this. Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative (DOSA). If you get arrested on a non-violent felony that is drug related and its not your first rodeo and have used up court deferment, you do some jail time pending adjudication and sentencing to a DOSA sentence. If the sentencing guidelines say you don't qualify for prison, you go to a semi-secured in-patient treatment center for 30 to 60 days instead of your full jail sentence. When you get out, you are on probation where you have to give lots of UAs and get violations for screwing up. Screw up enough or bad enough, your sentence gets converted to prison.

If you qualified for prison at sentencing, you get 50% off your sentence plus another 33% for good conduct and do the treatment in prison. When you get out on probation and screw up, you do the remainder of the deferred sentence.

This program decreases court costs because offenders will plea out for the time off their sentences. It decreases jail and prison bed usage and costs.

It has an abysmal success rate.

That doesn't work in Seattle, as ........

You can't arrest your way out of this problem

and only there's only one way to solve this problem............

That [an income tax] would give us some of the resources to address these problems. I assume everyone that's complaining about the problems also agrees they must pay for the remedies

Podcast: Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes defends efforts on drug crimes and homelessness

City Attorney asks for freedom for man convicted 72 times

It’s a mid-November afternoon at the corner of Broadway and East Pine on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. Mat Xavier is minding his own business, listening to music on his headphones when a man he doesn’t know, punches him in the mouth. “I was shocked— I was suckered punched by this man,” Xavier said...

komonews.com

McKenna said "frustrating" when prosecutors hold back, because it means the criminal justice system has less leverage over these repeat offenders.
"So, for instance, a prosecutor could say: 'If your client wants to do in-patient treatment, we'll order him to a secure in-treatment facility. If he doesn't want treatment, we'll ask for a whole lot more jail," McKenna said. "'Which choice would your client like?'"

But that style of prosecution is out of favor in Seattle now. The county attorney is no longer charging people for possession of small amounts of drugs — even heroin and meth — and City Attorney Pete Holmes doesn't believe in "the old way" of doing things.

In April, Holmes joined public defenders in an open letter criticizing Judge McKenna for overstepping his role, as they saw it, and trying to get prosecutors to come down harder on offenders.

Kristof points to the King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg's refusal to prosecute drug possession in favor of diversion to social services and treatment programs as a major innovation, citing some successful outcomes. In fact, however, the practical consequence of the prosecutor's policy is that in most cases nothing happens, at least nothing good.

Prosecutorial decriminalization of public drug use in Seattle, with City Hall's apparent blessing, means police usually do nothing when they observe such behavior. Even if diversion is the intended goal, the police must intervene and connect the user to the program. Further, these treatment programs do not exist at anywhere near the necessary scale and are voluntary. The decriminalization message, however, has been heard loud and clear by the cops on the street. Most of the time they do not intervene, confiscate the drugs, or take the person to a diversion program.

Seattle, no national model, enables addiction and ignores public safety

Late last year, prosecutors in King County, which encompasses Seattle, and neighboring Snohomish County became the first in the nation to stop charging people for possessing small amounts of drugs — heroin, meth and crack included — in virtually all cases.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...a7bb46-7285-11e9-9f06-5fc2ee80027a_story.html

King and Snohomish Counties quit prosecuting drug users. But now the Snohomish County prosecutor says the experiment isn’t working.

Last year both King and Snohomish Counties stopped prosecuting people for carrying small amounts of illegal drugs. But now the Snohomish County prosecutor says the experiment isn’t working.

www.kuow.org

Dori: Prolific offenders come here for drugs, but Satterberg says we can't prosecute possession

About 3,500 crimes in Seattle are committed by just 100 prolific offenders. Yet King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg says it's a waste to arrest people for personal possession of drugs.

mynorthwest.com

Ray

 

[No_Regerts]

That doesn't work in Seattle, as ........



and only there's only one way to solve this problem............

Podcast: Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes defends efforts on drug crimes and homelessness

City Attorney asks for freedom for man convicted 72 times

It’s a mid-November afternoon at the corner of Broadway and East Pine on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. Mat Xavier is minding his own business, listening to music on his headphones when a man he doesn’t know, punches him in the mouth. “I was shocked— I was suckered punched by this man,” Xavier said...

komonews.com

Seattle, no national model, enables addiction and ignores public safety

https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...a7bb46-7285-11e9-9f06-5fc2ee80027a_story.html

King and Snohomish Counties quit prosecuting drug users. But now the Snohomish County prosecutor says the experiment isn’t working.

Last year both King and Snohomish Counties stopped prosecuting people for carrying small amounts of illegal drugs. But now the Snohomish County prosecutor says the experiment isn’t working.

www.kuow.org

Dori: Prolific offenders come here for drugs, but Satterberg says we can't prosecute possession

About 3,500 crimes in Seattle are committed by just 100 prolific offenders. Yet King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg says it's a waste to arrest people for personal possession of drugs.

mynorthwest.com

Ray

Yep, doesn't work for many. The ones it does work for, wouldn't have got there if it weren't for being arrested. Sometimes it takes that to push someone to getting help. Being arrested is one guy's rock bottom.

Some guys wake up from their overdose angry because you gave them Narcan. The verge of death and being covered in their own vomit isn't rock bottom, but the cost of a good time.

 

[Alexx1401]

How do you take something from someone with nothing? Laws are followed by the lawful, but for those who aren't, the threat of losing something valuable is a useful deterrent. When those people have nothing, they fear nothing. Hence our current problem.

Then you take their freedom to prey on the rest of us away. The voters are not yet willing to do this but it solves the problem. There is no reason it needs to cost so much. Slap up some camps, let them live just like the Military does including eating like they do. Make the stretch longer and longer for each time they choose to not change. Instead the answer we are given is to let them roam the streets to attack and steal.

 

[billdeserthills]

A disturbingly high amount of crime in these parts are meth-fueled. Having seen those zombies plenty of times, I simply cannot wrap my head around why people would voluntarily use that crap.

As I used meth for 7 years I could tell you why, but what's the point?
The reason why will not excuse the disgusting behavior of junkies

 

[Camelfilter]

As I used meth for 7 years I could tell you why, but what's the point?...

Doesn't matter. What matters is you kicked it.

What I'd like to know, is would getting locked up & forcing your sobriety have made an impact sooner...had you had contact with law enforcement?

 

[revjen45]

1) "As I used meth for 7 years I could tell you why, but what's the point?"
Not too hard to figure out why. Very few things make you feel as good as speed. It also "helps" to deal with highly demanding physical labor. When I worked in the mobile home mines use of uppers was de rigeur for everybody but the people who did the light work like trim. One guy was amping so hard that he ran right off the end of a catwalk about 8' above the floor. Obviously the meth heads who live on the street aren't using it to give them energy for physical work. Note that bikers will employ it to avoid crashing at a party. Also, drunks have been known to use it to wake up enough to drive. Now you know how the Wehrmacht managed to keep those Panzers pushing forward (even if aimlessly) for 4 days without stopping. Der Fuehrer was a daily user of the best pharmaceutical Zoom in the world (trade name Pervitin) which, used along with a pharmaceutical narcotic (trade name Eukodal) helps explain the extreme clarity of thought he exhibited from '41 on. NOT!!
2) "Doesn't matter. What matters is you kicked it."
Yup. And that doesn't happen until and unless you get tired enough of doing it that you REALLY don't want it in your life any more. Obviously the reeking derelicts who infest the Democrats' Utopia aren't tired of it.
3) "What I'd like to know, is would getting locked up & forcing your sobriety have made an impact sooner...had you had contact with law enforcement?"
A lot of amphetamine enthusiasts manage to live a normal life without any benefit from involvement with the Legal Industry. Others, not so much. You really have to be FUBAR to benefit from any contact with THE LAW.

 

[Basedgreaser]

Pretty large portion of meth beigins with depression, ignorant parents, and no hope of a future to begin with.

Some need rock bottomn to want to change. Many will never and have gone past the point of no return.

As a former, most (on the streets) are dead weight and not capable of being saved. Let em die off.
Sober is a choice, a choice most will not make whether in jail or out.

 

[MannyGlocks]

Would the offer of a painless, pleasant death (administered in a clinical environment) help out some who can't/won't kick, but hate being a drugged out wreck, be an option for some?

 

[MannyGlocks]

What, no Dr. Kevorkian love?

No "Soylent Green" Edward G. Robinson endings accepted?

 

[SavageGerbil]

A slightly cold solution would be to just give them all the dope they want. The problem should fix itself.

Honestly, that's my stance. Bring the drugs themselves above board, tax it, and use THOSE taxes to pay for treatment options and other related costs. Put the business in a place that won't accept stolen car stereos (or whatever the current meth head trade bait item is.) I've never found a liquor store or pharmacy that'll let me trade your TV for my purchase.
Not super uncommon for someone to trade their daughter off for a night to knock their bill down. Yeah, pretty ugly.

Imagine if every dollar and man hour spent on going after the drug market was spent on taking care of the crimes committed instead? Yeah, I've got faith they'll lock up a dealer every day, but I have zero faith that they'll solve, or even put an effort into, a crime against my person or property. Had a neighbor threaten me with a baseball bat...in front of his house as I was walking by. Guess how much was done when it was reported?

On the other hand, got pulled over while lost one night, middle of winter, had my car searched for 2 hours while my friend and I sat on the side of the road because...hey, there may be drugs somewhere, right? I'm not saying cops are bad, they do the tasks they're assigned. I'm saying the assignment is not solving the issues.

If you're causing high and causing problems, it's the causing problems part that's relevant to me.

 

[SavageGerbil]

Would the offer of a painless, pleasant death (administered in a clinical environment) help out some who can't/won't kick, but hate being a drugged out wreck, be an option for some?

I think this should be a right to everyone. Can you really call yourself a free country if the choice of whether or not to keep going isn't even yours?

 

[billdeserthills]

Doesn't matter. What matters is you kicked it.

What I'd like to know, is would getting locked up & forcing your sobriety have made an impact sooner...had you had contact with law enforcement?

I had plenty of contact with law enforcement, I had plenty of interventions & I remember always hiding some meth before I agreed to them.

I used those interventions as a way to 'dry out' and after the friends & family finally left, I would start using again. It wasn't until I decided that I wanted to quit that I stopped--You can't make anyone quit using, even if you take the drugs away from them, cause the moment you aren't watching they'll go back on it, unless they truly wish to stop

 

[zenbreath]

Yep, doesn't work for many. The ones it does work for, wouldn't have got there if it weren't for being arrested. Sometimes it takes that to push someone to getting help. Being arrested is one guy's rock bottom.

Some guys wake up from their overdose angry because you gave them Narcan. The verge of death and being covered in their own vomit isn't rock bottom, but the cost of a good time.

First time, offer help or the hammer.

Second time, take help off the option list.

 

[pdxparabellum]

Don't forget to thank Mayor Ted Weasel and the Portlandia city clowncil for all the quality.

This is the core reason Portland is falling apart. This guy is a clown.

 

[ma96782]

BOHICA, BOHICA, BOHICA......



I fear that the various States are waiting for their share of the Opioid Settlement Money. You know.....so they could apply it towards saving the next person that wants to poison/kill themself with an illegal substance(s) or with an overdose/abuse of a legal substance(s).

Because we all KNOW.......
1) Addicts are/were so in control of their lives. Right, and they still got to vote for whomever (and to legalize whatever).
2) The doctors owe no blame in this. Take this, it'll help you feel better.
3) The street corner supplier was always only selling REAL pharmaceuticals (acquired from a legitimate source). Call them an unlicensed physician or an unlicensed pharmacist. Not to mention that it was probably cheaper. Made in China in some cases.

Aloha, Mark