Guest Post by Ann Coulter
Terrific investigative reporter Sam Quinones, author of the 2015 book, “Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic,” is about to release a new book, “The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth,” out next week. It’s jam-packed with amazing facts and, like all of Quinones’ work, reads like a thriller.
You may think you know this story. Trust me, you don’t. I normally don’t write book reviews, but Quinones’ book is well worth your time. However, I reserve the right to slap him around a bit on his idea of “hope.”
Here are some quotes from the book to give you a sense of why you won’t be able to put it down:
“[Z]ach, a star high school running back, died … from a fentanyl-laced bogus Percocet sold to him by a dealer he found on Snapchat. The dealer delivered the pill at 3 a.m. The family’s Ring camera captured Zach sneaking from the house. … His father found him dead on the front lawn at dawn.” …
“Why would addicts seek out fentanyl, knowing it would likely kill them? The answer: That’s the nature of addiction; it reprograms our brains so that their mission is not to ensure our survival but to pursue the drug. In the world of opiate-addicted brains, an overdose is not a warning; it’s an advertisement.” …
“I spoke with two recovering meth addicts who said they had to relearn how to speak. ‘It took me a year and a half to recover from the brain damage it had done to me,’ one of them said. ‘I couldn’t hardly form sentences. I couldn’t laugh, smile. I couldn’t think.'” …
“In Columbus, Ohio, [a drug counselor] remembers a meth addict who was hospitalized with frostbitten, gangrenous hands, yet who left the hospital in midwinter to find more dope.” …
Quinones is satisfyingly venomous toward the Sackler family (the pushers of OxyContin). But I wish he’d expend a little of that bile on the Mexican pushers.
As he painstakingly documents, these new drugs, fentanyl and P2P meth, are produced almost entirely in Mexico, then distributed to every corner of the U.S. through a ready-made network of immigrants — legal, illegal and anchor babies. But Quinones seems unable to mention that Mexico is drowning our country in these poisons — without reminding us that legal pain pills paved the way! (I thought we were supposed to sneer at “gateway drugs” like marijuana, as a scare tactic out of “Reefer Madness.”)
E.g.:
— “‘Doctors and Big Pharma prepared the battlefield,’ [a DEA agent] said, ‘creating a market for the cartels, who then jumped at the opportunity to own the supply and feed the demand.'”
— “Their legal, doctor-prescribed pills led to trafficker-supplied heroin, then to illicit fentanyl; now it was meth made from sulfuric acid, lye and whatever else.”
— “Unprecedented supplies of [P2P meth] were again unleashed coast to coast. Only this time they came not from doctors and drug companies, but from traffickers, virtually all from northwest Mexico.”
— “Meth thus made it to all corners of America, in something resembling how thoroughly prescription pain pills blanketed the country two decades before.”
— “Many of [the drug addicts] were the children of the opioid epidemic generation. Their parents were hooked first on Percocet, OxyContin, then heroin.”
OK, got it. The Sacklers are scum. Can we talk about the Mexicans now?
Not only Quinones, but nearly everyone sentimentalizes drug users, arguing for widespread availability of antidotes, rehab, counseling. It’s never the users’ fault; they are only victims — of a sports injury, Big Pharma, the pill-mill doctors, the criminal justice system, the paucity of rehab clinics.
Millions of people have taken narcotics after surgeries without getting addicted, but OK, fine. Let’s assume every single meth/heroin/fentanyl addict was prescribed OxyContin after a high school football injury.
The thing is, now they’re addicts, making them predators on society, destroyers of America’s towns and neighborhoods. They cause unbearable pain for their families, bankrupt them, betray them, steal from them.
You know who else is completely blameless for becoming a predator on society? The family dog who gets bitten by a diseased raccoon and contracts rabies. Except rabies is preferable to drug addiction because, after causing mayhem for a few weeks, the dog dies. A better analogy is that the dog becomes Cujo.
Quinones’ response is: GIVE THE DOG NARCAN TO BRING IT BACK LIFE, so it can go back to being … a rabies-infested dog, preying on the family and neighbors. And also spend a kazillion dollars on clinics, programs, free food and shelter for all the rabies-infected dogs. Let them maintain their rabies in comfort — because it’s not the dog’s fault! It was the Sacklers, or the pill-mill doctors or one tiny, little mistake they made.
I’m not saying, Screw them, let them die, and the sooner the better. But I am saying that everything in life is a trade-off, and of the 10 possible steps to save a human from drug addiction, only the first has any chance of success.
Step 1: Prevent Americans from getting addicted to drugs in the first place. Prosecute the Sacklers to the ends of the Earth — but also build a wall, deploy DEA agents at every entry point and execute drug dealers, with alacrity and enthusiasm.
Steps 2-10: Expend infinite amounts of time, money, resources, charity, good will, government money, private money (which is mostly government money) to try to save those already addicted, with a success rate of about 10%, where success is defined as: The addict recovers well enough to become a drug rehab counselor.
Quinones says walls won’t work. I don’t know. They work pretty well everywhere else, and a wall is sure better than what we have now, which is nothing. By contrast, lavishing gobs of resources on the rehab industrial-complex has been tried over and over again — and failed over and over again.
Can we just block the drugs at the border, please? Rehab is not an answer.
Whatever the solutions, anyone who wants a gripping account of the scourge that killed 93,331 Americans in 2020 alone has to read this book, out Nov. 2.
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I like beer probably a little too much. But I’ve never understood opiates unless one is in pain. Coke sure it’s fun at a party when you were young. But opiates just make you a zombie and sick to your stomach along with constipation. The war on drugs has failed. So not sure what this article is really trying to say. Too much money to be made by all organizations including LE
I never understood beer, meaning alcohol addiction. I only drink alcohol when I feel good, so that self-limits automatically.
But probably some people have different approaches…
The purpose of the black market is to provide an off-books mechanism for government actors and others to rake in huge profits. You don’t think we were in Afghanistan to capture Osama bin Laden do you?
Off budget government has been financing itself from control of the drug trade since Vietnam.
The only reason they lost interest in Afghanistan is that fentanyl has taken over the majority of the old heroin trade.
A lot of addicts got that way from legitimate chronic pain.
A lot of legitimate chronic pain sufferers now have to jump thru 26 fucking hoops to be able to sleep thru the night.
Ann hasn’t a clue.
My gal is one of them. It’s fucking ridiculous.
I broke my heel bone, had surgery, took opiates (1/2 the amount suggested) for 36 hours. Never got ‘high’ but was worried when I took the first pill. I was lucky I had little to no pain after surgery. However, I got real bad constipation. Why anyone would take that stuff for recreational purposes is beyond me. The drug sellers probably could make more $ selling ExLax than opiates.
I am probably going to get more than a few downvotes for my thoughts, but they are the same principled comments I have made before so no reason to change now.
First, you either own your own body and can put into it what you want, or you are the property of someone else – the state. You certainly have to take accountability for your actions while under the influence, but other than that, your altered consciousness or self-destructive behavior is your choice and fully within your rights as a sovereign being.
Second, the folks who are dying of fentanyl overdoses most likely have no idea they are taking fentanyl. Even the cases she cites are about black market pills that have been tainted with fentanyl during the illegal manufacturing process, or heroin that also has been tainted by dealers who certainly don’t tell their customers. Nobody wants to face this truth, but the government-created black market in drugs (thanks to its unconstitutional war on drugs), has created nearly all of the problems we see with drugs in our communities.
Let’s look at the alcohol market in comparison. Alcohol kills far more people every year, is quite addictive, destroys families, destroys lives, leads to violent behavior, and is no longer banned because people realized the futility and stupidity of what went on during the Prohibition years of the 20s and 30s. Today alcohol is available quite easily to anyone over 21 and the variety of choices continues to grow daily. There are high alcohol products, very low alcohol products, products made from grapes, grains, fruits, etc. to meet the needs of everyone who imbibes. Nobody has to choose 150 proof liquor because it is all that is available. A fruity 4% hard seltzer can be bought just as easily. Are there still issues? You bet. Is anyone dropping dead because the hard seltzer was spiked with pure grain alcohol from the manufacturer? NO. Is there quality assurance, potency assurance, and clear labeling of legal products? YES
Now imagine that someone wants to alter their consciousness in a manner that does not involve alcohol or other government-blessed drug. They are forced to deal with the black market, accept whatever is available, must deal with a criminal (by definition), has no legal recourse, etc. Now imagine if they were able to walk into a Walgreens or similar, speak to the pharmacist regarding their needs/desires, and purchase whatever they wished. In some cases, they might choose a known pharmaceutical medication such as a pain killer, or they might even purchase something natural like opium. They might purchase something as strong as methamphetamine, or might instead purchase dextroamphetamine, a pill that is routinely given to Air Force pilots on long or prolonged missions, that has been around for decades. Maybe they might buy a bag of coca leaves to chew on like the Peruvians who live at elevation do to beat altitude sickness, or maybe they go for more processed cocaine. Either way, they are able to purchase a product that was manufactured by a reputable company with liability, from a reputable business in their community, with labeling that tells them purity, potency (so they know how much to take, etc.), and even quality-assurance testing results.
Utopia? Of course not. Getting to the root of why so many despondent people choose to step so far away from reality might be a parallel course to embark on, but guaranteed that worsening the government tyranny and prohibition is most definitely NOT the way to address a demand that has existed since the first human consumed the first psychedelic mushroom or ate some fermented food/drink.
The pundits all over Fox gnash their teeth with every story about our wide open borders, bringing up the fentanyl issue every time. I agree that it is horrible, and that the border needs to be closed. But they come because of the freedbies, and the drugs come because of government prohibition. End the freebies and fully legalize all drugs (while providing a functional marketplace for purchase), and the drug cartels and smugglers would be out of business in short order. But much like dissolution of the US as a solution to the never-ending problems of government tyranny, most cannot fathom the possibility that freedom and self-ownership might also address the drug problem (and more importantly its related consequences).
You are dancing around the elephant.
The central question is always, and has always been “do we need [to set] limits.” On anything.
No matter how rosy you describe the regulated (!), quality-assured market, even you will easily find paths where even you will say “nah, that shouldn’t be allowed” (kids, machine operators, let your fantasy roam.)
Are machine operators not the employees of others? If they operate their own machines, is there not liability? Is a business owner not allowed to restrict sales to anyone they wish (say under a certain age)? Is private property and liability not sufficient for a self-regulated market? No, actually I can’t come up with anything because rules and laws are not keeping any of those folks from purchasing and using today…but accountability does to a degree (private businesses, liability, etc.). The only person who ever sets a limit on an individual is the individual themselves. Create a situation in which people are held accountable but are otherwise free, and you will see more caring about what they are doing. And to a certain degree, the taboo generates behaviors as well. Cannabis is legal to purchase and use in the Netherlands at 16. Use among Dutch 16 year olds is 1/3 that of American 16 year olds. Use of prescription drugs is also lower in states that have “legalized” cannabis for recreational use (still a heavily-regulated government tyranny). Start treating people like they are allowed to be free and responsible and they will begin to behave that way. If not, they have to pay the consequences.
Yawn, selective answering again, but zero fantasy for the opposite opinion.
Now what about the kids?
Let the business owners decide who to sell to and let their other customers decide if they agree. Market pressure and community economic pressure work. There is also an issue of age of consent, but that’s another discussion. And kids currently have easier access to drugs than adults, so rules obviously matter.
The proposed lawful addicts held accountable by who?
That’s the true lie.
They never will be.
They are not parasites sucking the life out of the system just poor victims of it.
We could never just put them down for the good of society like rabid dogs before they bite somebody else.
When you “set limits” on what another person can do with their body or life, you have crossed the line from freedom to feudalistic slavery. There are only two states of being, either you are a sovereign or a slave. If someone wants to waste their life, that is their decision to make, not some do gooder.
Whether it is drugs or vaccines, the issue is, that what you put in your body is a personal decision.
Bullshit.
You want to abolish all prisons?
Where did I write I want to set limits on other people? I’m talking about limiting oneself, obviously.
If a large group of people then voluntarily agrees to set certain limits for themselves, is a separate step. And extreme hypocrisy needs to be punished, in such a setting.
Social Darwinisn, perhaps. You wanna drink? Shoot up? Your problem, bro.
The people you describe have the same problem I used to have. On March 6, 1983 I was introduced to the Lord Jesus Christ. I was immediately released from Satan’s grip on me. I went home and threw out all the drugs and booze and never looked back or faltered even one time. I have lived a life full of joy for the last 38 years. This is the problem people face daily, life without Jesus. It is a dead end road ending at the gates of Hell. Accept Jesus as Saviour and join me. There never will be a regret.
A friend of mine, a supposedly-hopeless heroin addict and (former) Christian, decided to try Islam instead, and became a drug-free Muslim. He too has enjoyed a long, full life for over 35 years.
He too credits his Lord for his conversion, albeit a different Lord. Nonetheless, it has worked for him.
My point is, it is not which Lord one chooses as long as he is free from Satan. And that there are other spiritual choices besides the corrupted mainstream ones.
Bending the knee to THE LORD is much the opposite of a mainstream choice.
And there is only one Way.
The war on drugs has made no effort to stop imports at the border. Just plain stupid approach. Interdiction of dealers within the US will never stop the flow.
Mine the border and start executing drug dealers…it worked some in the Phillipines…
Stop seeing incompetence when only conspiracy and corruption actually exists.
Yea, this article is mostly bullshit. Another fear porn piece on how addiction is inevitable as soon as you take any drug which is complete nonsense. Drug addicts are the same type people as alcoholics, they all have a built in predisposition to addiction. Most people who were young in the 70’s who are grandparents now took more drugs than most would admit today and went on to live productive lives. Some went down the rabbit hole, but most did not.
Drug addicts for the most part have serious mental or physiological issues that may or may not be able to be addressed, but they are not indicative of the vast majority of people, any more than the hardcore alcoholic is representative of the average social drinker.
You will never solve the problem of substance abuse by trying to outlaw or restrict the supply, it will only be treated by elimination of the desire to escape the reality of peoples lives which is such hell they looking for escape at any costs.
A society might know it is doomed if only beagles are worth being outraged about.
Doggos?
Kids?
Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.
To Hell with thems.
“Quinones says walls won’t work.”
Of course “Quinones” would say that. Just sayin’.
Legalize it all shut down the DEA and lay off all the feds and state and local drug cops ! Now open up drug distribution centers open 24/7/365 . Assure safe pure drugs of the users choice and make it cheap with little oversight or limits .
Now there is no profit for the criminal element and always offer the pamphlet for help to get well and let them shoot snort what ever some will die some will get well but now it’s in the light of day !
Obviously law enforcement is failing and every dime spent on that is as good as pissing it in the street !
That is of course if drug addiction is not the issue but just another parasitic taxpayer & debt funded jobs program is all the war on drugs , terror , poverty is all these wars actually are !
Every Single Time. The Small Hats are the most oft-expelled in human history. America and the sad state of The West and the white race, are merely the most recent victims of their guile.
Leave it to a lesbian to champion the police state in the name of freedom.
Every time the subject of illegal drugs comes up, hoards of posters claim that the problem is made worse by the war on drugs and if we made drugs legal (gave people freedom of choice and easier access) , things would be better. Y’all are 99 and 100% pure idiots: people now have choice to buy and use or not to buy and use. When they buy and use, they get f’d up and soon die; look at the people on the streets of Baltimore: where are the old f’d up drug users? If Society listens to you idiots and makes the choice to buy and use even easier, it gets even more f’d up idiots and deaths. You pot heads’ have put junk into your brains and your rains have become junk; junk in, junk out.
There is no war on drugs. Only the war on the people by the government. Anyone who thinks the government gives two shits about the welfare of the people is a complete moron who needs to pull their head out of their anal orifice and get a dose of reality.
Bottom line is that your life is yours, and everyone has inherent freedom of choice to do what they want with that life. Anyone who tries to tell another person what to do is a feudalist, and that is the lowest form of life.