Borderland in crisis (fentanyl related)

[gimmethesimplelife]

As someone who genuinely loves the steppe areas of the Borderland - meaning 3500 ft altitude and above, I'm actually starting to feel sorry for US CBP. Mind boggling amounts of fentanyl have been seized lately at the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, AZ.

I understand US CBP is blaming Biden for not giving them more canine units and other support. I don't know what to believe here but I do believe this fentanyl thing is getting out of hand. What do you'all think could realistically be done to address this?

Rob

[JaneV2.0]

That huge fentanyl bust is a credit to the Biden administration, IMO.

[Yppej]

Stop all foreign deployments of the National Guard without a Congressional declaration of war. Use those people to help out at the border as well as with domestic natural disasters.

Stop reviving people with narcan and you will reduce demand and thus smuggling.

[Teacher Terry]

Stop all foreign deployments of the National Guard without a Congressional declaration of war. Use those people to help out at the border as well as with domestic natural disasters.

Stop reviving people with narcan and you will reduce demand and thus smuggling.
I can’t believe that you suggested to stop using narcan. Ugh!!

[Yppej]

I can’t believe that you suggested to stop using narcan. Ugh!!

It should still be used for accidental exposures by first responders, children of addicts, etc.

[SiouzQ.]

Yeah...wow...my daughter would maybe still be alive if someone had found her in time and gave her Narcan...

[bae]

Stop reviving people with narcan and you will reduce demand and thus smuggling.

Sickening. Shameful.

[Yppej]

Sickening. Shameful.

People take drugs in part because they know they will be revived. In some cases they already have been revived multiple times. This enables drug use and is a disincentive to seeking treatment. Ditto safe injection sites. Ditto free needles. Ditto letting homeless cities sprout in our major cities including human trafficking with no policing. But if I don't wear a mask because I'm the threat to society, I get fined $300 but not the junkies leaving needles all over the parks and mugging elderly people out for a walk to fund their drug habits.

The poor addicts, always the poor addicts. How about this officer who could get AIDS, hep B, or who knows what else from cleaning up their dirty needles?

https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2022/08/29/city-council-to-address-discarded-needles-at-clifford-park/

[Alan]

Fentanyl killed my brother in law last year. He was a well equipped user since he was able to regularly visit the county center which handed out free needles and Narcan. The last time he talked with my wife he told her he'd been revived by Narcan twice before and used that as an excuse to her as to why injecting heroin was safe since he always kept Narcan nearby. I guess he was alone the last time he shot up, he was found by one of his user friends a day or so later.

[gimmethesimplelife]

Fentanyl killed my brother in law last year. He was a well equipped user since he was able to regularly visit the county center which handed out free needles and Narcan. The last time he talked with my wife he told her he'd been revived by Narcan twice before and used that as an excuse to her as to why injecting heroin was safe since he always kept Narcan nearby. I guess he was alone the last time he shot up, he was found by one of his user friends a day or so later.I'm sorry, Alan. That must be horrible to lose someone to fentanyl. Truly I as sorry- I've seen fentanyl destroy lives in my not mentioning the zip code neighborhood. It's a horrible drug. Rob

[gimmethesimplelife]

Yeah...wow...my daughter would maybe still be alive if someone had found her in time and gave her Narcan...I'm sorry also for the loss of your daughter. It's just a horrible drug, worse even than meth. Rob

[happystuff]

Yeah...wow...my daughter would maybe still be alive if someone had found her in time and gave her Narcan...

My condolences on the loss of your daughter.

[LDAHL]

At the county I used to work for, Narcan pens were part of the standard kit for sheriff’s deputies. They saved a lot of lives, and weren’t terribly expensive that I can recall. A lot of fentanyl victims weren’t aware of what they were getting from their heroin suppliers, quality assurance not being a high priority in the drug trade.

[gimmethesimplelife]

At the county I used to work for, Narcan pens were part of the standard kit for sheriff’s deputies. They saved a lot of lives, and weren’t terribly expensive that I can recall. A lot of fentanyl victims weren’t aware of what they were getting from their heroin suppliers, quality assurance not being a high priority in the drug trade.I'm hearing that other drugs are now being laced with fentanyl to create more addicts for the drug trade as fentanyl is cheap and relatively easy to make with labs going 24/7/365 in Mexico for this purpose. I never cared for Nancy Reagan but I do respect her Just Say No advice.....best way to stay out of this mess. Rob

[catherine]

I never cared for Nancy Reagan but I do respect her Just Say No advice.....best way to stay out of this mess. Rob

I've always thought it was a simple message, but disingenuous. Addiction is a really complicated state, and reason and willpower almost never work as a cure.

92,000 drug overdose deaths in 2020--compared with 140,000+ alcohol-related deaths in 2020. The acceptance for alcohol consumption and minimization of its risks compared with "worse" drugs that society disapproves of is always interesting to me.

[JaneV2.0]

I've always thought it was a simple message, but disingenuous. Addiction is a really complicated state, and reason and willpower almost never work as a cure.

92,000 drug overdose deaths in 2020--compared with 140,000+ alcohol-related deaths in 2020. The acceptance for alcohol consumption and minimization of its risks compared with "worse" drugs that society disapproves of is always interesting to me.

As soon as I saw Nancy Reagan mentioned, I thought that I bet she had no problem with alcohol use. It may be a slower poison, but in a dependent individual, it can kill just as effectively. It is undoubtedly much more socially acceptable, but for many it represents a slippery slope that is lubricated by society's enthusiastic endorsement of its use. I wince when sent pictures of boozy drinks; how am I supposed to respond to that? "Get thee to rehab?"

[dado potato]

I worry about fentanyl. When I think about my grandkids age 6 to 18, I wonder what are the odds of any one of them being snuffed out by an overdose of fentanyl? I also worry about alcohol and some other things too.

In our simple living network, we have members who have lost loved ones to fentanyl. The burden of grief is not to be borne alone.

I took the Coursera online course on the Addicted Brain, by Michael Kuhar... and it contained some nuggets of insight. As I recall the course was under the auspices of Emory University in Atlanta <grateful braces>. His book is still near at hand on my bookshelf.

[flowerseverywhere]

I am so sorry for those who have lost loved ones to addictions.
I worked in mental health and no one is immune to this.

Perhaps listening to border patrol agents as to what would help them is a start. But The DEA site says much is coming from China and India now. So obviously it must also be coming in by plane and boat.

[pinkytoe]

I continue to see that innocent babies and toddlers here are dying after being exposed to their parent's fentanyl. So sad...