> Describing criminal drug peddlers as "tending to the health" of people is a very odd way of putting it.
The intention is to point out the absurdity of our situation, where much-desired plant-based substances can only be obtained with the assistance of organized crime.
> It's also rather beside the point when talking about today's epidemic.
The point is that the epidemic is entirely artificial. It is created and maintained by stupid politicians. It could be ended in a few months by implementing the same solution as is used in Switzerland.
> I never heard of Depo-Provera before but calling it "chemical castration" and putting "birth control" in scare quotes seems like hyperbole and inflammatory.
The same drug is given to male sex offenders [1] explicitly for the purpose of chemical castration. Many women lose their libido when they're put on this drug. No hyperbole is enough to warn about the dangers of this FDA-approved substance.
You're ignoring the fact that the current situation has been created by prescription pill misuse (in proscribing and taking) and the death toll has exceed that of automobiles largely because of Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Of course, a lot of the attention being paid is not because of the relative scope but because the affected population is whiter and less poor.
But synthetic vs. plant-based doesn't mean shit, plenty of plants can kill you. I'm all for treatment over criminalization but you sound more like you're advocating for legalization of heroin.
> No hyperbole is enough to warn about the dangers of this FDA-approved substance.
Sure, if you're willing to ignore all the other information on that Wikipedia page. Every patient should be well-informed about possible side effects before starting a medication. The injection form is longer lasting so it may take longer for bad effects to subside but loss of libido for a few months is not the end of the world.
The worst thing about chemical castration of sex offenders is it's forced.
> You're ignoring the fact that the current situation has been created by prescription pill misuse (in proscribing and taking) and the death toll has exceed that of automobiles largely because of Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
My friend did not transfer her addiction from pills, she was a good old-fashioned heroin addict. The present body count stems from the synthetics. Many fewer people died when the street pharmacy's products were purer.
> I'm all for treatment over criminalization but you sound more like you're advocating for legalization of heroin.
I don't think legalization is necessary, just an acknowledgement that present policy is actually a make-work program for organized crime.
As for your comments about Provera, I say that doctors should not play Russian Roulette with women's health.
From what I understand, the current state of the epidemic was exacerbated by the crackdown on pills and the current deaths is from heroin more than anything. Heroin used by people who can no longer get pills of which they know the dosage of.
Yes, restrictions on prescriptions, meant to stop people from getting hooked and cut down on illegal distribution, plus some crackdowns on pill mills have driven people already addicted to cheaper, more available opioids.
"Heroin-related deaths more than tripled between 2010 and 2015, with 12,989 heroin deaths in 2015. The largest increase in overdose deaths from 2014 to 2015 was for those involving synthetic opioids (other than methadone), which rose from 5,544 deaths in 2014 to 9,580 deaths in 2015. One of these synthetic opioids, illegally-made fentanyl, drove the increase. It was often mixed with heroin and/or cocaine as a combination product—with or without the user’s knowledge." [0]
But the rate of increase for death by prescription opioid has been greater than non-prescription so they are nearly half of all deaths.
The intention is to point out the absurdity of our situation, where much-desired plant-based substances can only be obtained with the assistance of organized crime.
> It's also rather beside the point when talking about today's epidemic.
The point is that the epidemic is entirely artificial. It is created and maintained by stupid politicians. It could be ended in a few months by implementing the same solution as is used in Switzerland.
> I never heard of Depo-Provera before but calling it "chemical castration" and putting "birth control" in scare quotes seems like hyperbole and inflammatory.
The same drug is given to male sex offenders [1] explicitly for the purpose of chemical castration. Many women lose their libido when they're put on this drug. No hyperbole is enough to warn about the dangers of this FDA-approved substance.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medroxyprogesterone_acetate#Ot...