Drug Overdose Deaths Can Be Reduced PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE DrugSense FOCUS Alert #218 Monday August 20, 2001 This past Tuesday, the Houston Chronicle (TX) reported the news from the previous weekend of 16 overdose deaths, all in the same geographic area and all from the same mixed package of cocaine and heroin. On Thursday, Chronicle columnist THOM MARSHALL penned yet another column denouncing current drug policies entitled IT'S TIME WE ADMIT DRUG WAR A FAILURE. In fact, this was the 83rd column from the past 3 years that Marshall has written that we have archived at MAP, more than any other columnist in the country who is not syndicated nationally. See: http://www.mapinc.org/author/Thom+Marshall Then on Saturday, the Chronicle's editorial board posted an editorial commenting on the overdose deaths. While including some hyperbole, "....trying street drugs even once could mean death...", it also astutely noted that treatment on demand is needed, "... No parent deserves a dead teenager because the child experimented with drugs. Better that troubled young people had the kind of access to effective drug treatment that recording artists and movie stars apparently take for granted." Please write a letter TODAY to the Chronicle thanking them for their coverage of this topic. We suggest you promote the message that treatment on demand is a much needed change from current drug policy and also that current drug prohibition laws make it difficult for those who need help to seek it out. Also current drug laws create black market drug dealers, which increases the risk for all citizens, not just the drug users. PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID (Letter, Phone, fax etc.) Please post a copy your letter or report your action to the sent letter list () if you are subscribed, or by E-mailing a copy directly to Your letter will then be forwarded to the list with so others can learn from your efforts and be motivated to follow suit. This is VERY IMPORTANT as it is one of the only ways we have of gauging our impact and effectiveness. Contact Info: Source: Houston Chronicle (TX) Contact: Extra Credit Either in the body of your letter or in a postscript, please commend Thom Marshall for his continued criticism of current drug policy as well as his astute suggestions on how we can make positive change. ***THOM MARSHALL'S COLUMN*** URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1515/a08.html Pubdate: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 Source: Houston Chronicle (TX) Copyright: 2001 Houston Chronicle Contact: Author: Thom Marshall IT'S TIME WE ADMIT DRUG WAR A FAILURE Perhaps, if what's happened in Harris County since Saturday still isn't enough to convince us to make some changes, we could agree on some numbers that would be. By the most recent count available when I was writing this, unregulated illegal drugs had killed up to 15 people here since Saturday. This number made news because it is so much larger than the two or three deaths that occur on an average weekend in Harris County due to unregulated illegal drugs. While we surely agree that is an alarming number, it likely will not be a sufficiently convincing one. Consider these drug war casualty figures from the government: A total of 11,651 deaths related to drug abuse were reported in 1999 by 139 medical examiners in 40 metropolitan areas. One of those who died locally a few days ago after taking unregulated drugs was a 16-year-old girl. Her entire life was lived during our nation's ever-escalating drug war. Yet her life came to an end so abruptly and prematurely because the war has failed. Drugs available from criminal dealers remain plentiful, and easily obtainable, and totally free of requirements regarding purity or strength. The Numbers Don't Lie I hear from many people who believe that anyone who takes unregulated drugs deserves whatever happens to them as a result. After all, people know the dangers when they choose to take drugs. If one of them dies as a result, I've heard hard-liners say, that's one less druggie adding to the problem. Every time someone makes such a cold comment, I wonder whether they are aware of the huge numbers involved, the number of people at risk. Here is another statistic from the government: In 1999, some 88 million Americans age 12 or older reported using an illicit drug at least once. That is 40 percent of the population. It doesn't matter how straight you are, that is almost certain to include some people you know, some friends, some family members. All these years we've fought the drug war and yet in 1997, almost one-third of all high school students (grades 9-12) reported that someone had offered, sold or given them an illegal drug on school property. This was up from the one-quarter of the student body that reported drugs available on school property in 1993. That is losing. Government drug war officials like to provide us with numbers about their busts and seizures. Wednesday's paper, which had a front-page update story about the weekend surge in Harris County drug deaths, also carried, on an inside page, a small item about the U.S. Coast Guard grabbing 9 tons of cocaine worth $270 million off a fishing boat in international waters off Colombia's Pacific coast. But if we look at other numbers, such as those drug deaths and the increased availability of drugs at schools, it's obvious that the busts and seizures haven't amounted to squat in the big picture. Losing an occasional shipment to the authorities is simply a cost of doing business for the big dealers. Drugs remain plentiful in Houston, obviously. Throwing Money Away For people who aren't convinced by lost lives, let's look at some dollar figures: The Office of National Drug Control Policy reports that federal spending on drug control programs has increased from $1.5 billion in fiscal year 1981 to $19.2 billion (estimated) in fiscal year 2001. That's just the feds' part of funding the drug war. States and counties and cities are spending many billions more. So how much money and how many lives are we willing to lose before we say enough, let's try something else? Something like ending the government's drug war and concentrating on doctors and psychologists to treat those who abuse drugs. Something like regulating currently illegal drugs the way we started regulating alcohol to do away with bootleggers and eliminate poisonous hooch. Won't someone in authority please start negotiations to set some limits? Some of us in Harris County would like to know when we could look for some changes. If 14 deaths in one weekend aren't enough, how many will it take? ***HOUSTON CHRONICLE EDITORIAL*** URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1519/a11.html Pubdate: Sat, 18 Aug 2001 Source: Houston Chronicle (TX) Copyright: 2001 Houston Chronicle Contact: BAD DRUGS - WHEN IT COMES TO STREET DRUGS, THERE'S NO OTHER KIND News that 16 people died last weekend from an apparent drug overdose, possibly of a lethal combination of cocaine and heroin, is shocking. Most of the victims were Hispanic men, many were young and one was a 16-year-old girl. But the news that fatal overdoses in Harris County average two or three per weekend arguably is far more frightening. News reports indicate that the number of lethal and nonlethal overdoses seen by Houston-area medical personnel has skyrocketed inexplicably. There were 31 overdoses in July this year, compared to two that month last year. Similarly, the number of overdoses in June of this year jumped to 29, or 26 more than during that period in 2000. One Chronicle reader cruelly suggested that the solution to drug use is to put batches of bad narcotics on the street so that drug users could "wipe themselves out." But drug addicts, no matter that their woes generally are self-inflicted, should not be punished by death for their destructive behavior. No parent deserves a dead teenager because the child experimented with drugs. Better that troubled young people had the kind of access to effective drug treatment that recording artists and movie stars apparently take for granted. To prevent more deaths on this scale, local police and Drug Enforcement Administration officials are trying to find the source of the lethal drugs. They'll also investigate whether the drugs were overly potent or contaminated, and whether the drugs were sold to intentionally cause overdoses. Four people have been arrested for selling drugs associated with the overdose deaths. There has been a lot of discussion of "bad drugs" since this spate of drug-related fatalities. But heroin and cocaine are bad drugs every day of the week, even when they don't kill. It would be gratifying if this tragedy caused people to recognize that trying street drugs even once could mean death. SAMPLE LETTER To the editor: There are two primary reasons why people overdose on any drug. The first is lack of proper education and the second is ingesting impure and/or adulterated product. Both reasons were present in the 16 deaths last weekend and likely account for the majority of the 60 overdose deaths in Harris County over the past 12 weeks. Under current zero tolerance and abstinence-only drug education, children and adults alike are taught that all drug use carries equal risk and that all drugs are equally dangerous. When they leave the classroom and enter the real world they quickly see the flaws in this foundation and are inclined to dismiss ALL drug education information. And with our criminal prohibitions against the use of certain substances, while other risky drugs like alcohol and tobacco are legal for adult use, the users of the illegal brands are forced to turn to street corner black market dealers. These suppliers have little motivation for ensuring product quality, nor are they accountable when their product is found to be impure or lethal. Your own columnist Thom Marshall seems to have a very good grasp on both the inherent problems of current drug policies, but also provides several legitimate alternatives. As he notes, it's time to admit the drug war is a failure. And as your own editorial astutely notes, it's time we fund treatment on demand for those who are in true need. People with drug abuse problems should not have to be arrested and burdened with a criminal (often felony) record in order to receive help. Respectfully submitted, Stephen Heath Clearwater, FL Drug Policy Forum of Texas (member) http://www.dpft.org (contact info) IMPORTANT: Always include your address and telephone number Please note: If you choose to use this letter as a model please modify it at least somewhat so that the paper does not receive numerous copies of the same letter and so that the original author receives credit for his/her work. Target Analysis - Houston Chronicle The Chronicle is read by 1.2 million adults in the greater Houston area each day, and more than 1.7 million on Sundays. The Chronicle prints average length letters. Our analysis of the 113 previous published pro-reform letters in the MAP published letter archives shows an average body length of 183 words, with a range from 61 words to 278 words. Based on their weekday general news sections advertising rates a published letter of only four column inches (about 160 words) printed in this paper has an equivalent advertising value as if you bought a $2,076 advertisement on behalf of reform. ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts Writer's Resources http://www.mapinc.org/resource/ TO SUBSCRIBE, DONATE, VOLUNTEER TO HELP, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL SEE http://www.drugsense.org/hurry.htm TO UNSUBSCRIBE SEE http://www.drugsense.org/unsub.htm Prepared by Stephen Heath - http://www.dpft.org Focus Alert Specialist

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