Money for Fentanyl
“Staying Off Empty”
Maintaining an Opiate Equilibrium
Matt CirCus 10-23
Presented to Berrien County Commissioners. 10-5-23
Greetings Commissioners,
I reviewed your last two meetings and have input for how to spend our Opiate Relief Funds. I’m using general criticisms to make my points and I’m sure there are some good people in public service and I hope they can appreciate my efforts to cut the bologna.
Background
In all, Michigan is scheduled to receive about $776 million from the settlement with three opioid distributors and manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, paid out incrementally over 18 years. Half of the total payout — $631 million from pharmaceutical distributors Cardinal, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen and $145 million from Johnson & Johnson via its pharmaceutical company Janssen — will go to the state and the other half will be distributed among the local governments. Georgea Kovanis Detroit Free Press
Overdose deaths from fentanyl are on the rise, nearly doubling annually, https://drugabusestatistics.org/fentanyl-abuse-statistics/
My intentions
- Explain why the state cannot solve the issue
- Defer our relief funds from institutions who are more interested in money than in helping people
- Expose and argue to de-fund “harm reduction” since it’s neither prevention nor treatment
- Explain how law can curb the epidemic
- Question if money can even solve the problem and share a scalable cost effective solution
- Provide a resource for those who want to help themselves and for advocates.
- Promote Positive Kratom legislation
I won’t skip the opportunity to point out in 2016 John Hopkins admits Medical Errors Now Third Leading Cause of Death in the U.S.
The very medical institutions you lend credulity had no small part in causing the fentanyl epidemic. The same Medical -Industrial-Complex that all but used force (your local police did that for them) to isolate and “lock-us down” causing depression, anxiety, poverty, and ADDICTION.
The newly calculated figure for medical errors puts this cause of death behind cancer but ahead of respiratory disease...The researchers caution that most of medical errors aren’t due to inherently bad doctors,... Rather, they say, most errors represent systemic problems, including poorly coordinated care, fragmented insurance networks, the absence or underuse of safety nets, and other protocols, in addition to unwarranted variation in physician practice patterns that lack accountability.
Claiming it’s not solely doctors ignorance or negligence only aids my argument. It’s the very system, the same bloated bureaucracies that never miss an opportunity for embezzling our public money into private pockets.
I have been following the epidemic for years. I watch interviews of homeless addicts every night and have for years. I was an addict and it took years of research and effort to break the chains of addiction. I pity those who believe the State will solve their problems; Welfare may work for some necessities but it won’t work for addiction.
I hold the topic very close to my heart because practically everybody I know is an alcoholic if not also addicted to caffeine, weed, cigarettes, and porn. I know how prevalent street drugs among my peers are. I have friends that defend Adderall, MDMA, and cocaine despite my objections. I have friends who need pain medication who can’t get it from doctors and have no choice but to gamble on the street; Authorities estimate now 1 in 4 street drugs are cut with Fentanyl. I have friends who have overcome heroin using Kratom. I have a friend who still battles addiction today because he was given Adderall for ADHD in school. These relief funds are their money!
I also know how stupid people can be. I have a peer who recently chose to start smoking cigarettes to be cool; there is a level of stupid you can’t fix. You and any addiction counselor need to recognize and accept this. This is now a triage situation. There’s not now, nor will there be enough resources to spend on those who won’t help themselves. But the welfare state profits from those who won’t help themselves.
I doubt E-cigarettes and vape pens reduced addiction numbers despite all the initial claims that they could be a tool; but maybe those who wanted to quit did benefit from them, meanwhile smoking never looked so appealing to children.
More people today are doing weed and mushrooms to self-medicate. I am not necessarily against these as stepping stones and a means to mental health and sobriety but I am certainly against these as ends in themselves. I contend the current medical model is more interested in profiting on the addiction itself.
Who did you invite?
Have you reached out to community leaders (who don’t already profit from state contracts)?
Will our relief funds be used to provide work opportunities for families who lost family members from over prescribing? I want to get a certificate in a field to move beyond my socioeconomic class but LMC has few certificates available.
Have you asked Sparrow house, Harbor Country Mission, the food pantry's how you can support them and raise awareness?
Have you asked for input from survivors of addiction? Maybe they have location specific or program specific input, or maybe they invested countless hours of research as I have and have an informed opinion. Maybe they know of other recovery programs and literature to recommend. Maybe they can tell you which are best run shelters and rehabs to sponsor.
Why not? Because your partners or ”stakeholders”, you know the CEO’s who just “donate” their time for meetings, do not profit from spending the resources directly into the community without inserting themselves as intermediaries.
Did you think to put Brian Cuban’ s book The Addicted Lawyer or Jost Sauer’s recovery books in the jail? These grassroots solutions require independent thought and don’t profit investors
Ideology
My position as an American is for individual freedom from state encroachments. Unlike SJWs (Social Justice Warriors) I defend the American ideal that we are all “equal under the law”. If we were to follow academia’s logic we wouldn't ask “How to curtail Fentanyl abuse?”, but rather “Is Fentanyl abuse wrong?” After all it lends itself to the Malthusian worldview.
I hold that post-modernism is an anti-philosophy. It’s aim is to attack tradition and culture. Why? To allow those who already wield power to attack views which they oppose. The Regime rejects reason and natural law as evidenced by promoting gender mutilation surgery.
Traditionally being able-bodied, self-educated, integral, sober, frugal, and responsible were qualities. Wokeism has inverted these strengths into faults. Virtues are now being replaced with excuses for degeneracy. Instead of repenting for our sins we are encouraged to defend them.
There is no cure for “Opioid Use Disorder” for the masses
The addict became an addict because they had no greater purpose, calling, occupation or perceived duty to remain responsible and sober. Instead of going further into a topic the state can’t address anyway I will skip to the solution; Opportunity. The makers space, bus rides to the rec center, the gym, AA outings, AA literature, other recovery programs (The Freedom Model, SMART recovery), and funding church outings, or facilitating visits to coffee shops between AA meetings. The county can subsidize the costs at the bowling alley, martial arts classes, baking classes, and dancing, can propose internships at the local radio station. I fear without my efforts these unrecognized organizations that build community with remain voiceless.
The only solution for addiction is possessing a desire to quit and making an individual choice to do so. Which likely involves changing one’s world view. My decision to quit Pornography exemplifies why this makes sense.
I was addicted to cigarettes for over a decade and it took many attempts to finally quit. I didn’t quit only because I couldn't breathe but because I hated what my money was supporting. My driving force to quit was voting with my dollar. While it was very addicting my purpose for quitting was clear.
It took me 5 years of quitting and relapsing to finally stop smoking weed but after more than a decade of abuse I was aware of weeds negative effects on me. I promote Jost Sauer’s addiction recovery books such as Perfect Day Plan which teaches addicts to form an hourly routine based on Traditional Chinese Medicine to control and master addictions. Weed causes laziness, mood swings, anxiety, cravings, and of course it costs money. At the time legal consequences were also a factor. But weed is easy to justify; it’s produced locally and it safely and effectively fills emotional voids; It’s a great distraction.
“marijuana will slowly deplete Liver Yang”,“he fell into the text book Liver Yang deficiency depression type which is characterized by ‘low-grade irratibilty, angry withdrawal and muffled agitations, which may be expressed by excessive smoking or overeating’.” Leon Hammer MD, Jost Sauer Higher & Higher.
I was able to quit weed with kratom and later alcohol with coffee and kratom. Alcohol is socially acceptable, available, and may be more addicting. But nicotine, alcohol, and weed are addicting in different ways. My point is not to diminish the severity of Meth or opioids.
I had to recognize not only that a particular drug was bad but also that addiction itself was bad or else I could have more easily justified using. Each drug has it’s own particular benefits and justifications. Many people will defend weed to their death bed but in doing so they unwittingly are defending addiction.
By changing my worldview though self education I realized pornography was not Good. Digital images are not a physical substance but we know it effects the brain similarly.
The Regime promotes pornography because it is a tool to control the masses. Drugs make us docile, suggestive, and lower our inhibitions, they reinforce expectations for instant gratification. Porn goes further to destroy families and finance human trafficking. The cure for porn addiction is not Kratom as it can be for weed and alcohol. I doubt many would deny its potential for addiction. Only by changing my worldview was I able to recognize that porn was not good and make the decision to quit. My example is to demonstrate how addiction itself is beyond the physical realm Scientism can address.
In this paper I do not promote state financed mental health “wrap-around” services for opioid addiction for many reasons I get into. Despite my “worldview” example I don’t believe trauma has to be addressed before a user can get sober. Framed the wrong way “trauma” may be another excuse to use or relapse. One can get sober despite mental issues. During sobriety is likely the only time one can properly access their emotions. This is my opinion based on a lifetime of thinking about this issue.
Because it’s nearly impossible to attain abstinence after Fentanyl addiction, prevention is key. The State will not be able to solve this problem but maybe you can barely provide the tools for those who want to help themselves. You can’t force someone into sobriety without physical restraint nor can you remove the drugs from the streets. As the economy continues to fail there will be more crime and more addiction.
The synthetic opioid can be made illegally. It’s 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine.
“I’ve detoxed off heroin, (oxycodone), everything,” Tharp said. “And I will honestly say this is the worst detox I’ve had. I’ll take 10 withdrawals off heroin over one withdrawal off of fentanyl. It’s so extreme. … That’s why everybody’s so scared to get clean.
Sean Brown thought something was wrong with him when he detoxed off fentanyl a few months ago. In a Skagit County treatment center, he was told the process would take five days — about how long his heroin detox took.
But after discharge, Brown was in withdrawals for another 10 days.” ‘Whole new demon’: Fentanyl deaths soar, and recovery is harder, by Claudia Yaw
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Statistically, addiction recovery rates vary by substance and individual circumstances, with 40% to 60% of individuals relapsing. Specifically, for heroin users, the relapse rate is nearly 80%. Thus, while general recovery success ranges from 20% to 60%, heroin addicts face a more challenging recovery.
Both drugs are highly addictive when abused in any amount. However, because of its sheer potency, fentanyl is often considered to be more addictive than heroin. Additionally, because it acts so quickly in the brain, fentanyl can create a more intense feeling of euphoria followed by a more intense withdrawal when users attempt to quit. This can make it difficult for people to stop using the drug even if they want to. https://www.guardianrecoverynetwork.com/addiction-101/heroin-vs-fentanyl/
Dr. Ward on Youtube cites statistics that only “10-15% get off, off, off” state-sanctioned narcotics.
Youtube: How Effective is Suboxone for Narcotic Addiction? Dr. Raymond Ward Weighs In
The Solutions
Narcan
Needle Distribution and Safer Consumption Supplies
Supervised consumption
Opiod Replacement Safe Supply
Drug Checking Services
Harm Reduction Vending Machines
Medication Lock Boxes
Medication Disposal Kits, Safe Syringes Disposal Drop Offs
Wound care
Job training
Pharmacy Access
MAT (medication assisted treatment)
I promote
-Test Strips and Narcan spray
-Pharmacy access
-Increased regulations for advertising Alcohol, Weed, Ketamine, MDMA, Mushrooms
*Rep. Mary Whiteford (Casco) and Abdullah Hammond (Dearborn) are using their authority to limit the dangers of drug promotions by working to ban marijuana advertisements on billboards in Michigan.
-Educational campaigns for Adderall abuse, MDMA health effects, and adulterated street drugs
-Stricter laws against prescribing ADHD or medication to youth
-Public access or “safe supply” of Suboxone, Naltrexone, and kratom and even Buprenorphine
-A campaign promoting Kratom and BZP for Meth addiction
*BZP should be resurrected from the dead!
-Naltrexone for alcoholism. I am for Naltrexone in as many public hands as possible. You, go get some!
I oppose
-Celebrations of alcohol and weed in public *HA HA,
-Needle exchanges but promote more safe needle disposal sites. Since needles aren’t necessary for personal administration of suboxone or naltrexone I do not endorse any needle or smoking supplies.
-De-stigmatization, except to defend a suboxone lifestyle (as a means to an ends which is abstinence)
-“Safe supply” enables and encourages drug use, It is not prevention nor treatment.
- Methadone is not the correct treatment for this disease. Perhaps the need for methadone clinics is over.
Education is not De-stigmatization
I believe children who want to explore drugs should be educated (by their parents) as to which are safer to explore but education is not de-stigmatization. Advocates claim shame keeps people using, but doesn’t shame also stop people from starting?
Information on ADHD, Meth, and BZP as the solution for amphetamines as well as evidence to posit that nicotine, alcohol, and even caffeine are gateway drugs are in a youtube video I created titled I STUDY DRUGS (adding my channel name Mac Kit in the search). In the video I brainstorm that groups can be formed on behalf of and among the homeless with benefits and privileges for those who can prove they are sober. I explain that the medical-educational industrial complex is targeting 2 year olds with Adderall. I also explain how I quit smoking cigarettes, the same logic can be applied for detoxed users coming out of jail who then CHOOSE to feed their addiction again. I also explain what is important to know about Kratom.
Law
Does the government embezzle public money into private coffers?
“In 2003 Congress passed a law largely written by the pharmaceutical industry preventing the federal administration from doing what almost every other government in the developed world does- negotiate prices for drugs paid for with public money… The result is that federally run programs such as Medicare and Medicaid must pay whatever the drug makers demand. Pg 167 American Overdose
How much ink should I waste to prove our government is illegitimate?
“Fast and Furious – not the movie franchise, but the US government’s ill-fated undercover gun-running operation targeting Mexican drug cartels – ended up putting more guns in the hands of criminals on both sides of the US-Mexico border.”
State regulation of Medical- Industrial-Complex, or rather its deliberate failure to do so, and the War On Drugs, are largely what caused this crisis. The drug war is a complete failure which is why SJWs today focus on the demand side. Many began opioids because weed was illegal or not available and doesn’t trigger tests.
Personal Liberty
My position as a Jeffersonian, is that we can solve our own problems but the State has to get out of our way.
I understand the desire to target dealers but I cannot endorse more power for The Regime responsible for destroying families and putting victimless-criminals in cages with violent offenders. *A retired police officer plans on opening a weed store next door to me. He’s knowingly going to bring a criminal element outside my front door. This is the level of integrity found in our society.
There is no chance amid the migrant crisis of today that the drug supply can be reigned in. Given the circumstance I propose a tactical trade off.
“promotions for the use of ethnogenic plants like psychedelic mushrooms (or worse) as we see with proposal E in Detroit, as well as in Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and in Senate bill 631.”
The Regime is already promoting MDMA, psychedelics, and Ketamine. But my strategy is to use this pro-drug excuse to allow a grey market for Naltrexone, Suboxone, Buprenorphine, and BZP.
Those who are willing to fight for sobriety need these tools. I support decriminalization not legalization. Legalization means commerce, profiteering, patents, monopolies, special privileges, and legal manipulations. Monopolies accompany legalization while a grey market remains subject to market forces.
Fentanyl doesn’t kill; The drug war does
“The product was extremely potent. To make a nasal spray solution-a popular method for ingesting some opioids...It’s an incredible markup; at that ratio, 500 worth of product could potentially make him $600,000… His nasal sprayer was a small white bottle with a custom-made label reading: “Alpha Prescription Strength Nasal Cleanser and Decongestant.” and then below, in smaller letters, it said: *Shake vigorously before each use and keep out of reach of children… It resembled a common drug store product. For his addiction, he said, he uses his nasal spray every four hours or so. He needs a hit to be able to get out of bed in the morning. Without it, he couldn’t go to work to support his daughters, he said. He sees what he is doing as a public service for addicted users. “It’s substantially cheaper for an opiate addict than supporting your habit other ways,” he said. “By offering a cost friendly solution, it keeps a user from committing crimes that hurt the innocent.” pg. 135 Fentanyl, Inc. Ben Westoff
Just like heroin and cocaine the drug war itself makes these drugs profitable and dangerous. Fear of the State leaves an industry where only the most brazen, powerful, and violent thrive. It is adulterants and amateur processing that makes them exponentially more toxic. I do not promote fentanyl addiction but won’t ignore this fact. Less fear of the law would mean more competition which would mean a greater potential for measured and higher quality street drugs.
A bold solution local leaders could take against these laws which are keeping us neutered while organized crime thrives would simply be a message and a stand down order.
“In this county we don’t prosecute possession of Suboxone.”
This is also an awareness campaign. A precedent already exists since the county doesn’t enforce federal marijuana laws. In reality you should give out suboxone like candy to anyone with proof of an opioid addiction or just to anyone since it’s potential for abuse is so low.
Currently getting charged for Buprenorphine as a Schedule 3 drug, besides potential criminal penalties, the “User Accountability” law holds users personally accountable by imposing civil penalties. Individuals convicted of possession can also be denied public housing assistance and student loans.
The federal list of controlled substances which puts real people in violent prisons for real time is yet another reason I reject the legitimacy of The State. Weed as a schedule 1 (likely soon to change) carries a greater sentence than Schedule 2 drugs, which include fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and various prescription opiates. With cannabis as a Schedule 1 substance, the state industries have been able to operate because the Justice Department’s Drug Enforcement Administration has chosen not to crack down on them.There are also schedules 4 (Xanax, Valium) and 5 (cough syrup with codeine.) We live amid a dying empire the sooner it stops harming us the stronger we will be to face the next chapter whatever may come.
Regulating Commerce/ Causing Harm
“with addiction, people think, society believes, that it’s a choice, a personal choice. To some degree the first or second time of a drug, there is a choice. But for a lot of these people that choice become a dependency, and then that dependency becomes a disease, the disease of addiction.” Sherrie Rubin’s son Aaron overdosed. American Overdose, Chris McGreal pg.151
As much as we love our neighbors we cannot remove culpability from those who voluntarily choose to use dangerous drugs. There initial decisions, they made via free-will, were wrong and there are repercussions; natural law requires it. Are we making excuses for bad behaviors now? Don’t forget that drugs are not free and a majority of users, especially if they are already on the streets, steal for the money.
I offer another approach that protects communities but does not specifically target supply side users; Increasing penalties for theft of any kind. People who cause harm to others deserve to be taken off the streets. Once incarcerated it’s not hard to identify those who require MAT. They would then be streamlined through detox/treatment while incarcerated. After some minimum time for detoxing they can be send out the door with a suboxone prescription. Probation drug counselors can monitor their blood levels to ensure they are regular on their maintenance medicine. While in public and on suboxone users cannot comfortably use, since it contains naltrexone.
The best up to date solutions:
Is it possible to quit Fentanyl, survive the long agonizing withdrawals, without medical aid to ease the withdrawal? Ken Star MD would say No, “traditional induction doesn’t work for Fentanyl.”
The easiest method is (microdosing) but requires continued use of Fentanyl for approx. a week while you taper Buprenophine up to replace Fentanyl. A clinician would have to administer Fentanyl if it supplied it, which is possible in a jail/inpatient setting or else the user would have to supply it himself and also visit a clinician to administer the Buprenophine as it is tapered up. This is the very best way to ease withdrawal and thus has the best outcome for adherence.
Mircodosing study; Rapid Overlap Initiation Protocol Using Low Dose Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in an Outpatient Setting: A Case Series. Journal of Addiction Medicine
But sadly this also aids in arguments for “safe supply” for public consumption and also aids my argument for decriminalization. While it may be true that public access to clean Fentanyl can aid a determined user to get clean, with a cost benefit analysis I think the risk for attracting the public to use is too high. There is a difference between a gray market and a tent with advertisements to come get drugs. I am not against testing strips for many reasons.
Another technique is Macrodosing. It is safer for outpatients and uses drugs with a lesser abuse potential. You suffer through detox using valium, hydroxine, tizanidine, clonodine, lucemyra for anxiety. These drugs may are also less illegal. After 12-24 hours and careful to not trigger precipitated withdrawals using The Withdrawal Scale (COWS) then start suboxone.
Dr. Ken Star’s third option is more taboo. You prescribe 4 days of oxycodone for the “pain” of withdrawal then detox for 12-24 hours then you can “glide onto suboxone from there”.
Youtube: 4 Ways to Get Off Fentanyl Now! Induction onto Suboxone can work. Follow these steps, Ken Starr MD Wellness Group
* Kratom is a next step for getting off Suboxone but is never mentioned. I pose a challenge to experts in the field. Can kratom or schedule 5 cough syrup can be used in place of buprenorphine toward suboxone maintenance or supplant suboxone as well? And if so we would want to publicize the dosing.
“Buprenorphine is a Schedule III medication requiring special waver. Physicians can obtain waivers by taking an 8-hour course that is available online and in person.”
*I support Exhibit E, Schedule B, A 12
With more research we are quickly making progress:
“Waiver Elimination (MAT Act)
Section 1262 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (also known as Omnibus bill), removes the federal requirement for practitioners to submit a Notice of Intent (have a waiver) to prescribe medications, like buprenorphine, for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). With this provision, and effective immediately, SAMHSA will no longer be accepting NOIs (waiver applications).
All practitioners who have a current DEA registration that includes Schedule III authority, may now prescribe buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder in their practice if permitted by applicable state law and SAMHSA encourages them to do so. SAMHSA and DEA are actively working on implementation of a separate provision of the Omnibus related to training requirements for DEA registration that becomes effective in June 2023. Please continue to check this webpage for further updates and guidance.” https://www.samhsa.gov/medications-substance-use-disorders/waiver-elimination-mat-act
Essential:
Suboxone: Rationale, Science, Misconceptions, Jennifer R. Velander, MD
We need to put these tools into public hands as widespread and safely as possible!
“Diversion of buprenorphine is uncommon; when it does occur it is primarily used for managing withdrawal.11,12 Diversion of prescription pain relievers, including oxycodone and hydrocodone, is far more common; in 2014, buprenorphine made up less than 1 percent of all reported drugs diverted in the U.S.”13https://nida.nih.gov/publications/effective-treatments-opioid-addiction
Does the government intentionally sabotage our efforts?
In November 2021 the DEA went above and beyond to further fuel the opioid crisis:
“But a few years later, the Drug Enforcement Administration raided Njoku's pharmacy and accused the facility of contributing to the opioid epidemic rather than curbing it. The agency revoked the pharmacy's registration to dispense controlled substances, claiming it posed an "imminent danger to public health and safety."
Although two judges separately ruled in Njoku's favor, the DEA's actions effectively shuttered his business.
They're trying to make sure that Subutex doesn't become the next problem," according to court transcripts.
But research suggests that buprenorphine misuse has decreased in recent years even as prescribing has increased, and that most people who use diverted buprenorphine do so to avoid withdrawal symptoms and because they can't get a prescription.
That creates a "prescribing cliff," said Bayla Ostrach, lead author of a paper studying this issue in North Carolina. Doctors may prescribe buprenorphine to more patients, but pharmacies order enough for only a certain number of customers. Since many people stay on buprenorphine for years, once the pharmacy hits its self-established quota, it may rarely have openings for new patients.Then, last year, James said, he went to get his prescription refilled and was told Publix no longer stocks Subutex — the medication the DEA considered a "red flag" in Njoku's case."I've been in 10 rehabs and a million detoxes, and the only thing that has worked for me was one sublingual tablet," James said. Along with therapy, "this saved my life." DEA takes aggressive stance toward pharmacies trying to dispense addiction medicine,” KFF Health News, Aneri Pattani
“In fact, the federal government itself encourages clinicians to prescribe it. But – as the West Virginia case illustrates – the DEA takes a very tough approach on dispensing them. As a result, many patients cannot fill these prescriptions because pharmacies are afraid to stack on them.
Some industry experts argue that these DEA tactics actually exacerbate the opioid epidemic by scaring pharmacies away from dispensing buprenorphine when it is desperately needed to address the epidemic. DEA’s aggressive stance on buprenorphine” By Natalia Mazina, Posted in DEA and Controlled Substances
For those who really want to go get clean and don’t have access to the best medicines Naltrexone alone makes it possible for anyone willing to fight for their sobriety. The benefit is you won’t have a Suboxone monkey on your back for years to come.
Youtube: Side Effects of Vivitrol Also known as Naltrexone, Dr. B Addiction Recovery
There’s also information on Nalrexone in Suboxone: Rationale, Science, Misconceptions, Jennifer R. Velander, MD
"naltrexone is not classified as a controlled substance by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Naltrexone is a full opioid antagonist that blocks euphoric actions only (meaning it can't lead to addiction or a "high"). Naltrexone is approved for use in the treatment plan of patients with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) or alcohol dependence, along with counseling. Any doctor can prescribe naltrexone.”
I don’t see any harm in any alcoholic getting some from the doctor and having it around in case someone ever decides to try to quit (just beware of precipitated withdrawals.)
The war against drugs, which was largely against weed, fueled early NPS (novel psychoactive substances).“People started using synthetic cannabinoids because they were cheap, potent, and didn’t show up on drug tests.” pg 90 Fentantyl, Inc. Ben Westhoff
“Synthetic marijuana” and “bath salts” proved far more dangerous for users than conventional drugs.
The State- Pharma apparatus has a leading role in meth addiction by over prescribing adderall to children.
“Cartels already had a long-standing relationships with legitimate Chinese firms supplying chemicals to make meth amphetamine, so it wasn’t difficult to switch to deliveries of fentanyl power made in Chinese factories. Pg 253 American Overdose Chris Mcgreal
More than 90% of people recovering from opiate addiction say they used heroin because it was cheaper and easier to get than prescription painkillers. https://www.altamirarecovery.com/opiate-addiction-recovery-statistics/
“I watched him go through it all and recognized that it was quite obvious that people would have very little choice but to move from prescription opioids to heroin in order to sustain their habit.” Rep Mary Bono speaking about her son Chesare
Can money solve the mass Opioid addiction?
Our money can and should be spent on prevention and benefit as many citizens as possible. We are all touched in some way by this epidemic. Public money should provide opportunities to keep us engaged and occupied in meaningful pastimes while we mature enough to reject toxic drugs.
Besides the cost of medication assisted treatment (MAT) I don’t believe paying any bureaucrats or counselors will help nor is it scalable. Instead pay the bus company to provide it’s basic service more often and to more locations to benefit the public or subsidize the cost of goods and services residents depend on.
Ideally, addiction treatment should include MOUD as well as therapy, recovery coaching, support groups, housing assistance, and employment support. But that doesn't mean that one component, in the absence of all of the others, doesn't constitute valid treatment for addiction. Currently, about 10-20% of people with opioid use disorder are getting anything that qualifies as adequate treatment for their disease, due to flaws in our healthcare system and shortages in qualified providers. So, while combination treatment is an admirable goal, it is unrealistic to expect that everyone with an addiction will receive all the aspects of treatment that they need, especially if you add in that many people who suffer from addiction often also lack access to regular healthcare and health insurance. Further, treatment with Suboxone alone, without therapy, has been proven to be effective. But it can be even more effective if combined with additional supports, such as therapy, recovery coaching, etc.
https://www.health.harvard.edu
, 5 myths about using Suboxone to treat opiate addiction October 7, 2021 By Peter Grinspoon, MD
From Harvard; “Suboxone alone, without therapy, has proven to be effective.” Institutions lined up for their share of public money won’t admit to this simplicity. They ignore their logic that the most good for the most people should prevail. You can’t shelter or counsel all the users so it turns into a waiting game and discrimination.
But my solutions are for everybody
Telemedicine is another option to compete with bloated and antiquated local medical institutions. Recoverydelivered.com costs 89$ a month for a doctor exam and a prescription for Suboxone.
The cost of the Suboxone is;
Some Medicare health plans offer drug coverage for generic buprenorphine/naloxone.
A 30-day supply of buprenorphine/naloxone costs:
generic sublingual tablets: $42 to $91
generic sublingual films: $74 to $90
https://www.addictionresource.net/mat/buprenorphine/suboxone/generic/
Fake-Woke welfare-career-student SJWs don’t have anything meaningful to contribute to this conversation nor do most experts in the field. I’ve listened to hours of panels and they all parrot the same needle exchange, safe consumption site, more laws, less laws... BS. My solutions are ready now. There is little chance of abstinence for those on Fentanyl the best we can ask of these people is to become dependent on a maintenance dose of Suboxone. End of story. Later, if they chose, they can overcome the state sanctioned narcotic with kratom. This is simple cost effective treatment for those who are willing to fight for their sobriety now. With this awareness I expect the public money allocated for treatment is guided by this insight.
“Treatment with a partial agonist [Suboxone] allows stabilization of opioid receptors so that patients are able to make changes in lifestyle, behaviors, and psychiatric condition to allow ultimate recovery rather than cycles of relapses. The mortality associated with any relapse on opioids is too high and too final.” Velander
The Street
“Housing first” assumes these people will be protected from their old habits if given shelter (but that’s not inherently true and is also complete welfare). People in AA jump between meetings and AA sponsored events to stay distracted from their habits. Herein I am promoting your sponsorship of more transportation, events, catering, and literature for AA. It’s fuzzy and warmhearted to lump in homelessness with this problem but it only makes this single issue, Fentanyl addiction, more convoluted and out of reach.
Of the minority who do graduate to Suboxone if they find proper treatment, few will ever become abstinent. Are we expected to continue paying drug costs for an unlimited time for an increasing number of users and pay for housing and counselors for the majority that will relapse anyway. Those on maintenance suboxone can’t afford any interference if they skip a dose in case of weather or a supply issue then most of these success stories will devolve into relapse statistics. Maybe a 24/7/365 walk in clinics should be established that never refuses a suboxone request if they have proof of a previous prescription or else they can promptly summon a doctor for an exam. This same center can administer the techniques I mentioned above to ease into a suboxone regiment. And community leaders (independent of the State) can be engaged there to offer their own services, which are usually donated.
I gave you a bare bones price that requires an individuals self determination as an outpatient; $90 for an online exam and 90$ a month for generic suboxone, but the cost and availability of withdawal mitigation techniques above need to to be added.
The costs balloons 4x when we include a treatment program which is not even in-patient:
Although the price for opioid treatment may vary based on a number of factors, recent preliminary cost estimates from the U.S. Department of Defense for treatment in a certified opioid treatment program (OTP) provide a reasonable basis for comparison:98
methadone treatment, including medication and integrated psychosocial and medical support services (assumes daily visits): $126.00 per week or $6,552.00 per year
buprenorphine for a stable patient provided in a certified OTP, including medication and twice-weekly visits: $115.00 per week or $5,980.00 per year
naltrexone provided in an OTP, including drug, drug administration, and related services: $1,176.50 per month or $14,112.00 per year
Private equity firms see no limit in profiting from our desperation; Marina agreed to BRC's upfront cost of $30,000 a month for a three-month stay in Texas, which she paid for out-of-pocket because her niece lacked insurance.
Before the sale to BRC, Nashville Recovery Center co-founder Ryan Cain said, roughly 80% of the center's offerings were free. Anyone could drop by for 12-step meetings, to meet a sponsor, or just play pool. But the new owners focused on a new high-end sober living program that cost thousands of dollars per month and relied on staffers who were in recovery themselves. Some addiction treatment centers turn big profits by scaling back care, By Renuka Rayasam, Blake Farmer
“relied on staffers who were in recovery themselves”. I stand against this. While teaching is the best method for learning I am skeptical of allowing ex-users any authority or access to others in recovery. Relapse is always possible if not highly probable. I acknowledge survivors have a valuable perspective but if they want to help they should remain in the position of peers in group-recovery. I think it is wiser for ex-addicts to distance themselves from their previous lifestyle and discover skills and interests not related to drug use.
Technocracy,Vaccines
Its a modern cliché that Western Medicine treats symptoms instead of the cause. The materialist-reductionist mindset wishes to label and isolate every issue down to a cellular-atomic level. This is Scientism and it fuels Technocracy which justifies unlimited surveillance. This world view seeks to quantify then control. I have no doubt our relief funds will be given to Tech companies working with the Regime to increase surveillance on innocent citizens. The most basic metric needed doesn’t require 20% of our relief money; How many have accessed services and of them how many survived?
“[Lobotomy] was irreversible, rendering people pliable by turning them into zombies.”…
This succinctly explains why The Regime promotes drug use and porn.
“Confronted with this array of grisly techniques, Arthur Sackler and his brothers became convinced that there had to be a better solution to mental illness.” Arthur did not believe that madness was immutable and untreatable, as the eugenicists suggested”. Empire of Pain, Patrick Radden Keefe
The “science is not settled” despite Elon’s rush to insert computer interfaces into our bodies. Beware of the Fentanyl vaccine! I write to do my part to prevent our relief money going to another Frankenstein “cure”.
Feds care more about excuses for toxic injections than public health;
“Even when the president finally spoke about opioids and the administration promised action, it did not go down well at the CDC that the Obama administration's request for $1 billion from Congress was all for treatment. No money was allocated to education or health programs. It was in stark contrast to the administration's response to Ebola, in which Obama took a personal interest.” pg. 185 American Overdose Chris Mcgreal *(CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden was fighting Big Pharma)
SJWs prioritize the needs of users over the community.
The SJW (not a classical liberal) often argues for collectivism as they did with masks and The Vax. But SJWs now defend individual rights to defend drug users at a cost to society by de-stigmatizing drugs, enabling and adding to drug use via safe supply, consumption sites, and drug paraphernalia to the public solely for the benefit of users.
Unequal Equity
“While boasting of our noble deeds we're careful to conceal the ugly fact that by an iniquitous money system we have nationalized a system of oppression which, though more refined, is not less cruel than the old system of chattel slavery.” Horace Greeley
“the provision [below] of safer smoking supplies did not have as its purpose advancing the cause of racial equity. Rather, its purpose was, quite logically, to reduce harm and infection among existing drug users. However, the grant description did state that priority would be given to applicants who serve communities that are historically underserved. In other words, the grant's terms encouraged recipients to advance racial equity “ Did Biden Admin 'Fund Crack Pipes' To 'Advance Racial Equity'?, Dan MacGuill
Under the American Rescue Plan, the Harm Reduction Grant Program was awarding 25 grants for up to $400,000 per year. Despite claims of “equality” those who served “priority populations or underserved communities“ received bonus points.“The term “equity” means the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals”.
“[The] Harm Reduction Grant is required to provide... details about the population which the grant applicant serves, including individuals from historically underserved communities including "racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender minority groups."
“The priority populations for this program are underserved communities that are greatly impacted by SUD [substance use disorders]" Dan MacGuill
Wikipedia: “Equality of outcome, equality of condition, or equality of results is a political concept which is central to some political ideologies and is used in some political discourse, often in contrast to the term equality of opportunity.[2] It describes a state in which all people have approximately the same material wealth and income, or in which the general economic conditions of everyone's lives are alike.” … One view is that mechanisms to achieve equal outcomes—to take a society and with unequal socioeconomic levels and force it to equal outcomes—are fraught with moral as well as practical problems since they often involve political coercion to compel the transfer.”
“Jefferson was talking about equality of opportunity and equality before the law rather than circumstances of birth” Understanding Thomas Jefferson E.M.Halliday
“He takes exception to the doctrine that all men are created equal. This, Adams declares, is not in accord with the facts, since “nature… has ordained that no two objects shall be perfectly alike and no two objects perfectly equal… no two men are perfectly equal in person, property, or understanding, activity, and virtue.” This is a clear contradiction of the Deceleration, and even of his own earlier statements. It is to be observed, however, that Adams does not deny that all men are born with equal rights; “every being, “ said he, “has a a right to his own, as clear, as moral, as sacred as any other being has.” History of American Political Theories Charles Edward Merriam
The Regime conceals it’s discrimination in rhetoric, this was regarding Michigan weed regulations; “it became clear that the broad language of the statute was not enough to address the specific issue of racial inequities”… “developing policy ideas to address the disparities in ownership and participation in the marijuana industry by people of color.” -Joint Ventures Pathway Program (Michigan.gov- CRA- Social Equity Program)
...all throughout the MI Healthy Climate Plan; “inclusivity, disadvantaged communities, disproportionately impacted residents.”
“Racism is not dead, but it is on life support- kept alive by politicians, race hustlers and people who get a sense of superiority by denouncing others as racist”, “When people get used to preferential treatment equal treatment seems like discrimination” -Thomas Sowell
I would not have included Discrimination in my presentation except it would be dishonest of me to not shatter yet another illusion about Opiate Use Disorder. While looking for recovery statistics for Fentanyl, which don’t really exist and I had to use heroins stats, I came across this study which leads me to wonder if State-sponsored “equitable” discrimination may instead be punishing the victim.
“Patients who began regular opioid use in recent decades often initiated use with prescription opioids, were almost 23 years old when they first used an opioid, equally likely to be male or female, overwhelmingly white, & living in small urban or non-urban areas.
These findings can be compared to mainstream media reports suggesting individuals suffering from heroin use disorder are from the inner city, poor, & of ethnic minority background.
Contrary to media speculation which may have racialized heroin use disorder as minority problem, this data suggests that ethnicity was not a factor among treatment seeking individuals who began their first regular opioid use prior to the 1980’s.
In fact, prior to the 1980’s individuals were equally likely to be white or nonwhite. Since then, the percentage of treatment seeking individuals who experienced their first regular opioid use were significantly more likely to be white.”This study was a secondary analysis of a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults who resolved a significant substance use problem, called the National Recovery Study, https://www.recoveryanswers.org/research-post/opioid-recovery-prevalence-united-states/
*I have more respect for John Magufuli, the late president of Tanzania; Hamed Bakayoko, who was Ivory Coast’s prime minister; Ambrose Dlamini, who was prime minister of eSwatini; and Pierre Nkurunziza, who was Burundi’s president than I do for white defenders of This Regime.
Protect Kratom;
What Is the Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA)? It is to prevent this:
“When the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposes to use its emergency scheduling authority to place a temporary ban on a “legal” drug due to concerns about abuse and safety, it is usually a fairly routine event. However, one recent decision by the DEA to ban a substance was anything but routine, resulting in a widespread public backlash that was sufficient to convince the DEA to reconsider its action.
The substance causing the controversy is the herbal opioid-like drug kratom. In August 2016, the DEA announced that it would temporarily reclassify kratom as a Schedule I drug.1 This action brought about a strong reaction, including public demonstrations, petitions, and calls by Congress to overrule the decision. These events resulted in the DEA withdrawing its notice of intent to institute the emergency scheduling of the active ingredients of kratom in October 2016 and to solicit further public comment.2” The DEA Changes Its Mind on Kratom, Gerald Gianutsos, PhD, JD
Finally,
The whole community is affected, not just those who are willing to be surveilled and contract with the State. If I needed help I would not rely on the State. Only by benefiting the community as a whole would I, and those like me, receive any aid from these funds.
Not only does the public pay by exposing the youth to “harm reduction” programs it also pays for the user’s bad life choices by paying their medical costs. Those of us who contribute to society made a choice to not recklessly party on drugs until we became thieving charity cases. People who are not addicted to drugs deserve housing over those who choose to be addicts. It should be clear by now very few are capable of telling me I don’t understand the severity and desperation of these “victims”. It only takes one bad decision to become addicted to Fentanyl but at the same time every next dose after the first is another personal choice away from recovery.
With the advent of these funds I expect to see more pro-drug activists breaking the law with little prosecution. I expect they will progress to distribute “safe supply” (cocaine, fentanyl, meth) and the law will stand down and even protect them. They will invent statistics to justify their revolutionary methods and the woke Medical-Industrial-Complex will lend them credulity. Meanwhile, as their methods become accepted as normal NGO’s will claim more of the public funds for The Agenda. I see the trajectory drug legalization is already taking. I write to head off these forces that care less about people but more about social control. The goal is not a free market but greater control over an addicted citizenry.
Thanks for your time. Take this torch and run with it.