Is this happening in other countries?
It’s been a problem in Canada. Not sure if the same magnitude.
How the fentanyl crisis' fourth wave has hit every corner of the US
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Re: How the fentanyl crisis' fourth wave has hit every corner of the US
#32Non US person here, so feel free to call me out on BS. IMHO people who do fentanyl already have pretty serious mental and/or existential issues going on, like who tf would play russian roulette like that? Sounds more like a societal problem than a mere drug distribution regulation problem to me.
Presumably you start with other drugs and especially weaker opiates. E.g. painkillers in pill form might be relatively harmless (compared to Fentanyl of course) but are more expensive and harder to get especially after the crackdown on prescriptions. Fentanyl OTH seems to have a great cost/“value” ratio so when you’re already addicted and can’t afford anything else you don’t really have much of a choice. At that poin…
While it's true that we indeed do have a severe drug problem in Finland, it really hasn't been pushed under the rug. We have a working social services system and the addicts have a place they can get their legal drugs from.
Also the overdoses per 100k residents are around 5.8, while in the us it seems to be 27.8
Re: How the fentanyl crisis' fourth wave has hit every corner of the US
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
From what I understand - people who got addicted to legal opiates now can't access them and fentanyl is somewhat accessible and gives same effect with lower dose. So it's not necessarily your stereotypical junkies that are using it, it's normal people who were given opiates to deal with pain and now got addicted.
So all those oxy prescriptions weren't a good idea then?
Not at all. In fact, we're having a huge public reckoning right now.
Re: How the fentanyl crisis' fourth wave has hit every corner of the US
#34I had to get a colonoscopy and be awake for the whole thing. They gave me fentanyl (my first and only time ever experiencing this drug) for the procedure. I have very fond memories of the entire experience, which is extremely disconcerting considering what was going on at the time. This drug probably shouldn’t exist imho.
It feels like somewhere along the way we declared discomfort and pain to be an invalid human state that should not exist and therefore must be dutifully banished at whatever cost.
Maybe it’s okay if a colonoscopy sucks.
Re: How the fentanyl crisis' fourth wave has hit every corner of the US
#35Please have more vacation weeks so that people are less stressed. Remake the financial system so that people cannot take on more debt a cause for stress. Make a progressive tax system for people and large cooperations so that people spend time in local communities and buy local.
Re: How the fentanyl crisis' fourth wave has hit every corner of the US
#36Non US person here, so feel free to call me out on BS. IMHO people who do fentanyl already have pretty serious mental and/or existential issues going on, like who tf would play russian roulette like that? Sounds more like a societal problem than a mere drug distribution regulation problem to me.
Presumably you start with other drugs and especially weaker opiates. E.g. painkillers in pill form might be relatively harmless (compared to Fentanyl of course) but are more expensive and harder to get especially after the crackdown on prescriptions. Fentanyl OTH seems to have a great cost/“value” ratio so when you’re already addicted and can’t afford anything else you don’t really have much of a choice. At that poin…
> Sweden has the highest number of deaths per capita
In Europe? It looks like the US has almost 3X as many. The US' map of deaths looks dominated by economics, while the European one looks like it follows the latitude with seasonal depression.
Re: How the fentanyl crisis' fourth wave has hit every corner of the US
#37Non US person here, so feel free to call me out on BS. IMHO people who do fentanyl already have pretty serious mental and/or existential issues going on, like who tf would play russian roulette like that? Sounds more like a societal problem than a mere drug distribution regulation problem to me.
Fentanyl is frequently laced into other drugs (without the buyer knowing) because it is cheaper to produce than e.g. heroin. Or it is used as the main ingredient in fake versions of “real” painkillers like Oxy.
But it’s so deadly at low levels that it’s very easy to end up with a lethal amount in a single dose through inconsistent manufacturing processes, unbeknownst to seller or buyer.
Everything related to the surge in opioid addiction is obviously a societal problem. But not the one you’re imagining.
Re: How the fentanyl crisis' fourth wave has hit every corner of the US
#38Non US person here, so feel free to call me out on BS. IMHO people who do fentanyl already have pretty serious mental and/or existential issues going on, like who tf would play russian roulette like that? Sounds more like a societal problem than a mere drug distribution regulation problem to me.
As the article mentions, some people are unwittingly taking it because their other drug of choice is laced with it, and they become addicted this way.
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Re: How the fentanyl crisis' fourth wave has hit every corner of the US
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
I used to share a similar position until I realized: drugs are bad, actually, and there should be substantial friction in making them available to people. Disincentivizing drug consumption is a good thing. The war on drugs obviously leads to some absurdities - e.g. drug cartels, unnecessary incarceration - and I much prefer the Portuguese model. But making fentanyl in particular available in the grocery store would b…
Even the Portuguese model has had mixed success at best
My understanding is that the Portuguese model was going along pretty well until fentanyl came along.
Re: How the fentanyl crisis' fourth wave has hit every corner of the US
#40My wife has pre-cancerous moles and every few years some need to be removed. This year it was done - and they told her to take Advil for 6 inch long incisions on her back.
In the past? Pain pills like Oxicotin - which they are now afraid to prescribe. So she’s dealt w 2 weeks of agony as she heals.
American medicine is cruel.