Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Sam Schwall- 1st period- Tainted Heroin Warnings


            I read the article, Tainted Heroin Warnings Blanket Pa. As Overdose Deaths Swell, by Liz Reid from NPR.org. The story looks at a sudden increase in overdoses in Western Pennsylvania emergency rooms. A batch of heroin is believed to be the culprit behind at least 22 deaths. Caroline Acker, co-founder of Prevention Point Pittsburgh, a program for addicts explains that bags have been handed out with needles and a warning about the recent issues, however this is unlikely to keep users away. A suspect dealer has been found and has been taken into custody.

            This is very scary. While the average person should have no fear of this drug, the users should be informed also. This brings up the difficult question of whether we should provide help for people with destructive lifestyles but not force recovery. I believe that addicts need a recovery plan but that those same individuals should work to teach these users how to avoid overdosing. What do you think?

http://www.npr.org/2014/02/01/269750147/tainted-heroin-blamed-for-overdose-deaths-in-pennsylvania

2 comments:

  1. From an average view point, the obvious answer would just be: don't do drugs! But realistically speaking, an addiction is an addiction. The bad thing is, you never know exactly what you're taking. Of course it would be great to help those who need it, but I think if it were a government funded program, a lot of taxpayers would complain (as usual) about their money going down the drain. For now the best thing to do is inform everyone that there is no guarantee that they will get what they were paying for. -Nana Johnson 2nd Period

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  2. I'm so scared about this. The amount of drug use is staggering so it makes me worried for their sake.

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